Delivering CONSTRUCTIVE OPPOSITION to the sectarian consensus!

A growing Alliance team ambitious for Northern Ireland

Read Alliance's response to the 2008 Budget and Programme for Government.

• Our team of 7 MLAs, 32 Councillors and hundreds of volunteer activists are working across Northern Ireland to build a better society:

• we're working to build a society free of segregation, sectarianism and prejudice where everyone - Catholic or Protestant, black or white, local or immigrant, rich or poor, young or old - can live their live the way they want, free from fear

• we're working to build a society where we don't need to run cap in hand to Westminster to keep our public services working; one where we empower business to generate enough wealth to fund the services we all benefit from

we're working to create a sustainable society - where our beautiful environment is cherished, where we don't spend money we don't have and where the rights of individual are not smothered by the demands of the state and big institutions

Alliance believes that Northern Ireland should be the best place to live and work in Europe - we don't accept the second rate!

• We are a growing party - join us today!

• Alliance vindicated on the devastating cost of segregation - read the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister report.

Alliance welcomes reduced rates for green homes New! Fri 4th Jul 2008 Alliance Sustainability Spokesperson Cllr Alan Lawther has welcomed news of plans to cut rates bills for people whose homes are environmentally-friendly. The plans were announced by Finance Minister Nigel Dodds.
Read "Alliance welcomes reduced rates for green homes" in full (146 words).

Alliance puts pressure on Sammy Wilson on plastic bag levy Thu 3rd Jul 2008 Alliance Sustainability Spokesmen Alan Lawther has urged Sammy Wilson to create a plastic bag levy saying it makes sense and is not difficult to implement. Alan Lawther has challenged Sammy Wilson to prove whether he has any green credentials at all.
Read "Alliance puts pressure on Sammy Wilson on plastic bag levy" in full (194 words).

Neeson calls for more jobs at Seagate not just investment Thu 3rd Jul 2008 Alliance enterprise spokesperson Sean Neeson MLA has welcomed the £120 million investment by Seagate in their Londonderry site but has stated that he would prefer to see new jobs being created instead.
Read "Neeson calls for more jobs at Seagate not just investment" in full (143 words).

Lo hits out at Goggins on his analysis of human trafficking here Wed 2nd Jul 2008 South Belfast Alliance MLA Anna Lo has said she strongly disagrees with Minister Paul Goggins comment on human trafficking. She said that Mr Goggins was wrong to say it is not a real problem in Northern Ireland. Her comments come after Mr Goggins released a statement today on the Pentameter 2 multi-agency operation.
Read "Lo hits out at Goggins on his analysis of human trafficking here" in full (251 words).

Assembly off on holiday again and still no real progress on ending segregation Wed 2nd Jul 2008 As the Assembly closes for the summer, Alliance Chief Whip Kieran McCarthy MLA has attacked the Executive over their failure to tackle segregation for the second summer in succession. Maintaining a divided society here costs over £1 billion every year and Alliance has campaigned for years to break down these barriers.

Read "Assembly off on holiday again and still no real progress on ending segregation" in full (239 words).

Bangor Murder 'Shocking' says Farry Tue 1st Jul 2008 North Down Alliance MLA, Stephen Farry, has described the murder of a man in a guesthouse in Princetown Road, Bangor as a 'shocking event'.
Read "Bangor Murder 'Shocking' says Farry" in full (119 words).

Alliance Leader says green re-launch has left red faces Tue 1st Jul 2008 Alliance Leader David Ford has said that today's re-launch of the Environment and Heritage Service has been deeply embarrassing for the Minister Sammy Wilson with many green campaigners, including himself boycotting the event. He is boycotting the event because of the Executive's failure to set up an independent Environmental Protection Agency.

Read "Alliance Leader says green re-launch has left red faces" in full (156 words).

Farry welcomes sexual offences legislation Tue 1st Jul 2008 Alliance Party Justice Spokesperson, Stephen Farry MLA, has welcomed the passage of the Sexual Offences Order in Parliament, and the rejection ofthe DUP amendment to entrench the status quo on the age of consent in Northern Ireland out of line with the rest of the UK.
Read "Farry welcomes sexual offences legislation " in full (331 words).

Alliance hails underage drinking crackdown this summer Tue 1st Jul 2008 Carrickfergus District Policing Partnership member Cllr Stewart Dickson has welcomed a police crackdown on underage drinking this summer. The operation called 'Summer Splash' will run across Northern Ireland at weekends throughout the summer and the first weekend of September.
Read "Alliance hails underage drinking crackdown this summer" in full (185 words).

Alliance Leader to boycott sham re-launch of Environment and Heritage Service Mon 30th Jun 2008 Alliance Leader David Ford intends to boycott tomorrow's re-launch of the Environment and Heritage Service because the Executive has failed to create an independent Environmental Protection Agency. Mr Ford said that tomorrow's event is the political equivalent of the emperor's new clothes, as the organisation already exists. He plans to spend the time of the EHS re-launch with environmental campaigners instead, as he shares their concerns about the Executive's failure on this issue.

Read "Alliance Leader to boycott sham re-launch of Environment and Heritage Service" in full (191 words).

Archive of earlier news stories.