People still want Agreement - Ford

12.00.00am GMT Thu 4th Nov 1999

Alliance Assembly Member for South Antrim, David Ford, has hit out at claims by the NIUPs Norman Boyd that support for the Good Friday Agreement is declining

David Ford said

"The poll conducted by Ulster Marketing Surveys for Queens University, and published in the Belfast Telegraph last week, shows that the Good Friday Agreement still has the support of the great majority of people across the community."

" A wide range of organisations and groups, from the CBI to local clergy, from the Ulster Farmers Union to local charities such as the Ulster Cancer Foundation, are lobbying politicians in a daily basis to persuade them to get on with implementing the Agreement in full."

"They are all aware of the large number of issues that local politicans will need to take responsibility for, and make decisions on, which affect the daily lives of everyone in Northern Ireland. They want to see local politicians take charge of our local schools and hospitals, work to bring more jobs here, sort out our local public transport, and work together to find solutions to the crisis in local agriculture."

"The Anti-agreement lobby must realise that despite more than a year of public anxiety over the lack of progress in the Assembly, and the constant negative campaigning by the opponents of the Agreement, support for the Agreement has only dropped from 71% to 67%. It is time for them to accept that they have lost the argument."

ENDS.