Alliance message taken across Europe

9.41.10am BST (GMT +0100) Thu 25th May 2006

Young Alliance Chairman Ian James Parsley

Young Alliance Chairman Ian James Parsley has addressed a European Liberal Youth Seminar in Vienna, and joined fellow Liberals from across the continent demanding an end to the scourge of nationalistic politics. The event is organized by the Liberal Students' Forum for Austria and LYMEC, youth wing of the European Liberal Democrats. That grouping is the longest existing pan-national European political group. Its 30th anniversary celebrations in Stuttgart earlier this year were attended by Alliance Party Chair Yvonne Boyle.

Addressing the 30-delegate-strong event, the North Down Councillor stated:

"40 years ago our colleagues in the Netherlands, Democraten '66, set out on a political journey to demolish a political system based on religious observance rather than political philosophy. They succeeded dramatically. That is a task to which young Liberals in Northern Ireland are also committed, and which links us all in the European Liberal Movement. We will succeed also.

"The idea that people should be grouped or judged based on a 'label' assigned to them by the state for no good reason is regressive and backward. 21st century politics demands that individuals are based on merit, that people are rewarded for the content of their character, and that fairness is brought about by a fundamental commitment to human rights and equality of opportunity at the heart of government - not by playing off one 'tribe' against another.

"Our objective in Northern Ireland is simple - that our region and our people take their place among all the other regions of Europe as a stable democracy, a growing economy and a progressive society. This will not come about while the scourge of sectarianism, populism and nationalistic political rhetoric remain at the fore of what is laughably described as 'political debate'.

"It is time the progressive, liberal, and radical political agenda pursued by so many of our sister parties across Europe entered the political mainstream in Northern Ireland too."

ENDS