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Alliance slams SDLP for leaving future to the IRA

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Thu 21st Apr 2005

An Alliance candidate for Belfast City Council has slammed the SDLP for its plans to leave the future of Ireland in the hands of the IRA.

Allan Leonard stated: "The SDLP's opposition to voluntary coalition amounts to placing the future of Ireland in the hands of a mafia organization.

"The SDLP would rather see the law-abiding people of Northern Ireland have water charges, regional rate hikes and tuition fees foisted upon them by outsiders while waiting for movement from the IRA, than use the mandate from the people to place government in local hands.

"The SDLP's ideas amount to making all progress dependent on the IRA. We in Alliance would prefer to see it dependent on the people of Northern Ireland, and the island as a whole. Southerners wouldn't tolerate the IRA dictating Irish politics, so why should Northerners?

"People who have supported the SDLP want them to work for peace and progress, but not at the expense of folding over to terrorists. The SDLP's obstinacy on returning local power to local people will surely confound such supporters. Alliance works with all democrats, including Sinn Fein when they act in a wholly democratic way, but not when they don't. Every

true democrat understands this principle."

ENDS

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Previous news story: Alliance: Board and Minister must work together for Belfast ethnic minorities (Wed 20th Apr 2005).
Next news story: Alliance vote is a vote to "just get on with it!": Parsley (Fri 22nd Apr 2005).

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