Alliance in south Down critical of threats to party

Alliance in south Down critical of threats to party

23 January 2013

SOUTH Down Alliance Association has strongly condemned recent death threats, intimidation and attacks on party officials over the flags dispute.

At a recent committee meeting the Association chairman, Dr. Michael Healy, said any threat or attack against an elected representative is an attack on democracy.

“Every politician should be able to work on behalf of their constituents without the fear of violence or intimidation,” he said.

Rowallane Alliance party member Patrick Brown was congratulated by the South Down Alliance Association following his selection to take part, along with 5,000 college and university students from all over the world, in the prestigious United Nations conference in the UN Headquarters in New York.

The recent announcement by the DSD Minister Nelson McCausland to abolish the Housing Executive was discussed and members agreed to help support Housing Executive employees in Downpatrick amid fears for the organisation’s future.

Alliance Newcastle Councillor Patrick Clarke advised the members that he had already written to the DSD Minister about his opposition regarding the abolishment of the Housing Executive and also his concerns as to the possible job losses at the Downpatrick office and had asked the DSD Minister to safeguard against job losses in Down District.

South Down Alliance member David Griffin spoke about the ongoing Welfare Reform cutbacks being implemented by the Conservative/Lib Demo Government and the dramatic affect they were having on people in the South Down area particularly low income families.

Association Secretary Mary Smyth Farr informed members that Alliance membership was continuing to increase within South Down, particularly within Down District and that the South Down Alliance Association would be very well represented at the forthcoming Alliance Party Conference in March.

South Down Alliance members congratulated Paralympics gold medal winner swimmer, Bethany Firth, from Seaforde, who was named young sportsperson of the year at the Belfast Telegraph awards, former Dundrum GP, Dr. Kieran Walshe, who received an honorary fellowship from the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh for his work in diabetes research and Royal County Down Golf Club on being named the best golf course in the world outside the United States.