SDLP welcomes Alliance's Maskey backing
The SDLP has welcomed the Alliance Party's decision to back Sinn Fein's Alex Maskey for Lord Mayor of Belfast and announced it too would be backing him.
Councillor Margaret Walshe said the party had supported the principle of inclusion of both political traditions in all council posts from committee places to the position of Lord Mayor.
‘‘The SDLP has in the past and will this year support Sinn Fein for Mayor,’’ she said.
Ms Walshe added: ‘‘In coming years the parties of the council must establish council pacts so that election to Mayor and other positions is not a barter but is agreed by all parties.’’
But Assembly member Norman Boyd, chief whip of the Northern Ireland Unionist Party, said people throughout the North would be ‘‘dismayed and angry’’ at the Alliance support for Sinn Fein.
Mr Boyd said for over 30 years the Provisional IRA - whom British Prime Minister Tony Blair had said were inextricably linked to Sinn Fein, had bombed, maimed and murdered many innocent citizens of Belfast.
They had caused millions of pounds of damage to businesses and caused the loss of thousands of jobs.
‘‘The IRA continue to build huge criminal empires through extortion and racketeering on a daily basis,’’ he said. ‘‘The Alliance Party are gullible and naive to believe otherwise.’’
The Alliance decision was ‘‘disgraceful’’ and proved the party endorsed the policies of republicans and were no friends of unionists.
‘‘Protestants who have supported the Alliance Party in the past should never vote for such an unprincipled party again,’’ he said.
