North Down
Stormont should be reformed so no one party has the ability to pull it down
The House of Lords should be reformed or abolished
The right to vote should be extended to 16 and 17 year olds
Increased efforts should be made to improve the opportunities & spaces for integrated education
There should be no new fossil fuel infrastructure, such as the Whitehead Oil Terminal
Lough Neagh should be brought into community ownership
There should be a proper Windfall Tax on oil & gas giants
Subsidies should be divested from air travel and invested into the train network, making it a greener and more affordable alternative to flying
The next Government must scrap the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill, to ensure no asylum seekers are sent to Rwanda
Corporation tax should be increased, not decreased
The creeping privatisation of our public services must stop
The Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023 and its prohibition on troubles related inquests & other proceedings must be repealed, so that there can be justice for victims and relatives
The Personal Independence Payment (PIP) & Universal Credit benefit schemes and associated assessments should be repealed and replaced with a better alternatives
Drug use should be decriminalised, with a healthcare approach replacing a criminal justice one & the issue should be devolved to give local politicians more power to tackle associated issues
The two-child benefit cap must be scrapped
The next Government should work to ensure workers rights including banning zero hours contracts & ending the practice of "Fire & Re-Hire"
All forms of conversion therapy should be banned
There should be an overhaul of Trans healthcare to make improvements including bringing down waiting times for surgery & counselling, and ensuring access to puberty blockers
Arms sales to Israel should be halted & there should be an immediate ceasefire in Palestine
The state of Palestine should be officially recognised
Comments
- We need far greater investment in rail, but also other forms of public transport and active travel. For example, many people in Northern Ireland rely on buses, and that network needs investment too. We also need to reverse historic under-investment in Active Travel to make cycling and walking more attractive and safer. Air connectivity for Northern Ireland is important alongside and in addition to public transport and Active Travel. As a small island within the Common Travel Area, it's critical that moving both within and across these islands is affordable and accessible to all of us.
- "Subsidies should be divested from air travel and invested into the train network, making it a greener and more affordable alternative to flying" - By only investing in trains we risk entrenching the issues of a lack of infrastructure West of the Bann and in areas across Northern Ireland where there simply is no rail infrastructure. Greens have always supported rail and in government, both in Scotland and in Ireland, Greens have made historical investment in rail. The rail network in Northern Ireland needs to be expanded to those historically underserved areas and better connected to the rest of the Island. However the rural bus network and other solutions like the Belfast Glider or new light rail need to also receive support. As an alternative specifically to flying we need to develop ferry travel and ensure that the sea ports are better connected in order to allow people to choose to travel in a more sustainable way.