Assembly members call for urgent change in voting system
The British Government was expected today to face calls to urgently change the Northern Ireland Assembly’s voting system in a bid to avert a crisis in the peace process in 15 months’ time.
Members of the cross-community Alliance Party were expected to hear a call from leader David Ford at their annual conference in Carrickfergus, Co Antrim for a change in the assembly voting rules which make their five MLAs’ votes worthless.
Last November, three Alliance MLAs David Ford, Eileen Bell and former leader Sean Neeson temporarily changed their designation from ‘other’ to ‘unionist’ in a bid to help David Trimble and Mark Durkan’s election as First and Deputy First Ministers.
Mr Trimble and Mr Durkan failed at the first attempt to get the required 50% plus one support of unionist MLAs at Stormont along with the 50% plus one of nationalist MLAs.
Under assembly rules, the votes of cross community MLAs do not count in the election of ministers.
Mr Ford was today expected to warn failure to change the voting system could backfire on the British and Irish governments and pro-Good Friday Agreement parties after next year’s assembly election.
Earlier this week in an interview, the South Antrim MLA argued:
‘‘There is the major potential that immediately following the next election if either the DUP or Sinn Fein became the larger party within their section, it will be impossible to make the system work.’’
A motion by North Belfast delegate Tommy McCullough was also expected to demand that the British and Irish governments to urgently convene a review of the agreement to change the voting system.
In his second leader’s speech to the party conference, Mr Ford, who took charge of Alliance only last October, is also expected to launch a stinging attack on the Stormont Executive for not generating enough legislation.
Alliance delegates are also expected to condemn any moves to give paramilitary fugitives from justice an ‘‘amnesty’’ so they can return home to Northern Ireland without being arrested.
A motion tabled by deputy leader Eileen Bell claims an ‘‘amnesty’’ would go ‘‘well beyond both the letter and spirit of the Good Friday Agreement and is inconsistent with both justice and international practice.’’
The North Down MLA’s motion proposes that any deal must require those involved to acknowledge their guilt in court before being released on licence and guarantees from the paramilitaries that those exiled from Northern Ireland with death threats hanging over them are allowed to return safely.
There are also motions expressing alarm at the deterioration of the health service, supporting the euro and calling for action to tackle the ‘‘culture of lawlessness’’ in society.
