SINN Fein’s South Down Westminster election candidate Chris Hazzard has claimed the constituency has been “neglected for too long.”
His assertion came after he accepted his party’s nomination to challenge sitting SDLP MP Margaret Ritchie at next May’s parliamentary poll during an election convention in Downpatrick last weekend.
Mr. Hazzard — who was nominated at the St. Patrick Centre last Sunday night — said he is looking forward to the challenges the Westminster election presents.
The MLA said he offers the people of South Down an alternative to the “failed politics of the SDLP,” claiming the constituency has been neglected for too long.
Mr. Hazzard declared: “Our local economy needs strong leadership and I am ready to deliver that leadership. If elected, I will represent the needs of everyone in South Down, from the farmers in the Mournes to the shop owners in Downpatrick.
“Tourism expansion is of central importance to our local economy. I will ensure that the kingdom of Mourne will be as recognisable around the world as the kingdom of Kerry is.”
Mr. Hazzard believes that for too long, political parties have been prepared to “bow under to Tory ideology” and implement cuts putting the most vulnerable people in even more poverty.
“Sinn Féin offers an alternative to the politics of accepting the breadcrumbs thrown from London and will stand strong against measures designed to impoverish our communities,” he continued.
“While the SDLP publicly stated these cuts were insurmountable or that welfare reform should have been given accelerated passage, we have stood up and been counted.”
Mr. Hazzard, who was recently appointed to the Justice, Enterprise, Trade and Investment Committee at Stormont and is a member of the Education Committee, believes there is an opportunity for the people of South Down to elect a party that will use its mandate in a “forthright manner in promoting the area, looking at economic regeneration and protect basic services.”
He added: “I believe that there is growing mood for strong representatives who can make a difference and bring positive change to the lives of the people on this island.”
Sinn Fein’s decision to select Mr. Hazzard to fight next May’s election secured the backing of his fellow South Down MLA Caitriona Ruane who was the party’s Westminster candidate at the 2010 and 2005 general elections when she lost to Miss Ritchie and Eddie McGrady respectively.
Ms. Ruane was in Downpatrick for Sunday night’s election convention.