Kelly appeals to nationalists to help get Dodds out

Sinn Féin's candidate for North Belfast in the May 6 Westminster election race has called on nationalist voters of all colours to vote for him in a bid to oust the sitting DUP Member of Parliament.
North Belfast MLA and Minister in the Stormont Executive Gerry Kelly said the time had come for change.
"Yes we can do it, this is the time to do it," the Junior Minister claimed.
"I think this is the first time in our history we can have a nationalist republican representing this area. That is huge.

"The DUP are against equality, they have used their elected positions to fight against equality, particularly against leisure facilities and again housing for nationalists even though 80 per cent of nationalists are on the waiting list.
"There are two nationalists running, myself and Alban Maginness.
"I would remind the SDLP voters, this is first past the post, and that the only chance of unseating the DUP is myself.
"Your vote is crucial, it's not proportional representation where you use your votes once or twice or use preferences. So let's make history, let's do it."

In the 2007 assembly election six politicians were elected to North Belfast. Nigel Dodds (DUP) topped the poll with over 23 per cent of the vote, Gerry Kelly came in second place with 18 per cent, party collegue Carál Ní Chuilín with 12 per cent, Fred Cobain with eight per cent, Nelson McCausland with eight per cent and Alban Maginness with seven per cent.

"In the last elections both myself and Carál Ní Chuilín beat Alban in first preference votes, so he's in third place, so there is no logic to his arguments."

According to the Electoral Office statistics, as of April 1 2010 there are nearly 66,000 voters in North Belfast, making it the biggest parliamentary constituency in the whole of the city.
This week North Belfast MLA Alban Maginness dismissed an electoral pact with republicans.
Gerry Kelly said SDLP North Belfast voters should realise the only chance of unseating Nigel Dodds, elected MP in 2001, was voting Sinn Féin.
"In the last elections both myself and Carál Ní Chuilín beat Alban in first preference votes, so he's in third place, so there is no logic to his arguments," Gerry Kelly said.

"I suppose I am appealing to the SDLP voter beyond Alban in this very specific election and to people who may not vote for me in normal circumstances, to vote for me because we could make an awful difference."

Tackling the issue of abstentionism the republican said the party's MPs had a strong reputation despite not taking their seats in the House of Commons.
"I am simply not going to take the oath to the queen. I think the SDLP are wrong for doing that, we are Irish, we are nationalists and our aim is a united Ireland.

"In terms of resources for the area, in terms of using the clout of being an MP, we have five MPs, they are all well known, and very effective, and all work on the ground from Gerry Adams to Michelle Gidlernew, Caitríona Ruane, Conor Murphy and Pat Doherty, and that's what I'll be doing if elected."

A grubby little Gerrymander in Newtiwnabbey - Kelly

Speaking after Sinn Féin voters in Newtownabby were disenfranchised at a special meeting of Newtownabby Council Gerry Kelly MLA said:

"This was a Sinn Féin seat and the SDLP joined with other parties to exclude a Sinn Féin co-option which is completely disgraceful and typical of this council’s treatment of Sinn Féin voters in Newtownabby over the previous years.”

Kelly’s comments came after a deal agreed between unionists, independents and SDLP councillors in Newtownabbey Borough Council has effectively disenfranchised Sinn Féin voters after the party’s proposed candidate to replace Briege Meehan was vetoed by other parties.

“New legislation passed last Thursday was intended to ensure political balance yet in a back room deal all the other parties joined to exclude a Sinn Féin candidate using the old system."

"Sinn Féin have been kept out of committee's in Unionist dominated councils and our voters have been treated as second class citizens. This decision to co-opt an independent candidate into a Sinn Féin seat is a grubby little Gerrymander!"

"We made our position perfectly clear and our intention to co-opt a Sinn Féin candidate into a Sinn Féin seat was the democratic entitlement of our voters."

"We have come to expect nothing less from the Unionist parties who demonstrate on a daily basis sectarian underhand dealings. However we are surprised at the SDLP have shown their colours in Newtownabby as they circle the wagons in their nasty attempt to cling on to power at the expense of other nationalist and republican residents in the area.

"Newtownabby councillors were faced with a stark choice yesterday, a bi-election or a Sinn Féin co-option. They hadn't got the nerve to face ratepayers with a huge bill for a bi-election and the prospect of Sinn Féin once again taking our rightful entitlement on the council was Hobson's choice for them.
“So they cobbled together this distasteful back room Gerrymander. We will be examining our legal options and call on the new candidate to do the decent thing and step aside," said Kelly.

Poverty figures show that North Belfast needs balanced investment - Ní Chuilín

North Belfast Sinn Féin MLA Carál Ní Chuilín said the figures released that North Belfast working-class communities are at the top of the north's poverty league were proof of the Assembly's continuing failure to address "chronic" need in North Belfast.

According to the most recent deprivation figures, a section of nationalist North Belfast is the fifth most deprived small area in the whole of the north.
Parts of the New Lodge are ranked fifth in the Northern Ireland Multiple Deprivation 2010 study while part of Ardoyne is the ninth most deprived small area in the north.
New Lodge and Ardoyne were split into three separate sections for the purpose of the statistics. All three Super Output Areas (SOAs) of the New Lodge were ranked in the top 15 most deprived small areas in the north.
The remaining two SOAs of Ardoyne were ranked 42nd and 43rd in the table of the north's 100 most deprived small areas.

"The bottom line is that we need balanced investment because any investment in the city goes to south and east despite the chronic need in North Belfast and these deprivation figures show the devastating consequences this is having," said Ní Chuilín.
"Resources need to be distributed according to objective need and if that was the case, North Belfast wouldn't have such high suicide rates, poor health stats and low educational qualifications."

Give Dodds his marching orders!

By Carál Ní Chuilín
I worry that some day while shopping, the staff of Tescos are going to ask me not to come back due to the traffic jams in the isles that I cause! The hold-ups are because neighbours stop to voice their views and opinions on the latest hot issue. What was unusual this week was that I was spending time defending the SDLP.
“Sinn Féin defending the SDLP?” you might ask.
Well, the party has at last come on board with the rest of the nationalist community and reversed its unpopular decision to block temporary changing facilities for the Cricky Pitch on the Cliftonville Road and one should always give credit where credit is due.
Sinn Féin and the SDLP also work well together in the Assembly and in committees for the good of our constituents. It would, of course, be progress if we could also agree to maximise nationalist representation but unfortunately on every occasion in the past when Sinn Féin broached the subject of a voter pact the SDLP rebuffed the offer.
Here, in North Belfast, both the nationalist and the unionist community have been failed by Nigel Dodds. Westminster represents little more than a gravy train for the DUP – as their expenses scandals have explicitly shown.
For 125 years unionism has dominated in North Belfast – always to the detriment of the nationalist people. We not only have had sectarian marches imposed on us but the DUP have used their status to block every aspect of equality, especially in relation to leisure provision and house building programmes aimed at tackling cronic need.
Fortunately, we now have a historic opportunity to dump Dodds and unseat the DUP.
How can this be done?
By tactical voting, like that in Mid-Ulster when SDLP supporters voted for Martin McGuinness and rid themselves of Willie McCrea
I know from talking to people – not least those who stop me in Tescos! – that this is something the nationalist community, and SDLP supporters, would like to see happening.
We in Sinn Féin have done our best to make sure that every single person who is entitled to vote has been registered. Sinn Fein voters have also significantly narrowed the DUP’s lead in North Belfast so much that the seat is now within grasp.
Provided.
Provided that we can persuade a section of SDLP supporters to vote tactically at Westminster whilst continuing to vote for the SDLP candidates of their choice in council and assembly elections.
It is as simple as that!
That is the formula for success, that is the way to make the historic breakthrough on equality for the whole community in May’s Westminster election.
Go for it!

MLA welcomes movement on Girdwood housing

North Belfast MLA and DSD committee member Carál Ní Chuilín welcomed the news that the Department of Social Development (DSD) has started the procurement process to appoint a housing association to begin work on 200 new homes at Girdwood
"We are happy that movement on building the new homes is going ahead and that a housing association is being sought," she said.
"The sooner it gets up and running and the much needed homes are built the better. We also need to make sure that the equality and objective need programme is delivered and that any inequalities are addressed. This is a priority for this site."

Paving the way ahead

Work has started on the new footpath on the Whitewell Road after a campaign lead by Sinn Féin.
Praising the determination of local people Gerry Kelly said: “For years the absence of a safe footpath on this stretch of the Whitewell Road has meant either having to walk into dangerous on coming traffic or cross twice on this busy road particularly in dark winter evenings."
"Parents had major concerns about local children's safety and with the leadership of Tierna they battled with the statutory bodies for safe access."
"Winning this campaign is great work by local people and will put many minds to rest when young people are out playing and going to friends homes in the area."
"Local efforts such as this mean a lot to residents and combined with traffic calming measures together we can design a safer environment. I would encourage residents across North Belfast to organize around vital local issues such as this and Sinn Fein is here as a resource to help,” Said the Sinn Féin elected representative.

Easter Parades for Belfast

Easter Saturday:
Whitewell. Assemble 1.30pm at lower Whitewell, parade leaves at 2pm.

Easter Sunday:
Carrickhill. Assemble at 10.30am, parade leaves at 11am.

Milltown: Assemble at Beechmount Avenue at 1pm, parade leaves at 1.30pm.

Easter Monday:
Newington. Wreath laying ceremony at 12 noon

New Lodge. Assemble at Carlisle Road at 1pm, parade leaves at 1.30pm.

Easter Tuesday:
Ardoyne. Assemble at Herbert Street at 1pm, parade leaves at 1.30pm.