Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
‘ALLIANCE A LONG SHOT NO LONGER’
» Naomi has 3rd Euro seat in her sights » She urges public to vote pro-remain
ALLIANCE leader Naomi Long has said she is best placed to take Northern Ireland’s third seat in Europe.
She was speaking yesterday at the launch of her party’s manifesto at the CIYMS sports grounds in East Belfast.
Mrs Long said: “Brexit is not an orange or green issue and I am not an orange or green politician.”
Her party saw a surge in its vote in the recent local government elections and the leader believes that can be built upon in next week’s poll for the European Parliament.
The region’s largest parties, the DUP and Sinn Fein, are heavily tipped to retain two of Northern Ireland’s European seats.
But the fate of the third, held by the retiring Ulster Unionist Jim Nicholson, is less certain.
The Alliance manifesto includes pledges to secure a people’s vote, keep borders open, protect the economy and support the work of the EU.
Mrs Long added the recent council election results, in addition to a number of polls and surveys, were good news for Alliance.
She said the party “is in prime position to not only substantially increase our number of first preference votes, but also gain the required transfers from others to take the third seat and show the EU, and indeed the world, Northern Ireland wants to Remain”.
She added: “In 2016, people right across our community came together to vote Remain.
“I believe we can achieve better together and show that same spirit again on May 23.”
Mrs Long said she believes Northern Ireland’s third seat is going to come down to transfers and urged voters to return two Remain candidates.
She added: “In the recent polls that have been produced we are literally within the margin of error, neck-and-neck with the Ulster Unionists and the SDLP.
“The Ulster Unionists are the current incumbent and it’s very clear if we are neck-and-neck with the current incumbent we are in contention for that seat. Unlike the Ulster Unionists, who are moving backwards, and the SDLP, who have been drifting backwards, we have forward momentum.
“That’s why I am encouraging people who vote Alliance to vote for other pro-remain candidates after they have voted Alliance number one and I would hope other proremain candidates will want to do the same. It’s important we have two voices in Europe who are pro-remain, who are making a strong statement to government about how Northern Ireland feels about the EU.
“But I believe it is also important we have a voice there that is not simply a unionist or nationalist voice, that doesn’t further polarise this issue but that can represent the broad swathe of public opinion and civic society.”