SDLP Leader Colum Eastwood has renewed his call for substantial reform of Stormont’s Petition of Concern to allow parties to form an Executive and get back to governing.
After 1000 days without government, the SDLP Leader said that parties have the opportunity to act on hospital waiting lists, school budgets and welfare mitigations without losing face in a negotiation.
Said the Foyle MLA: “After 1000 days without a government, public services in the North of Ireland have been dangerously degraded.
“Hospital waiting lists in every trust area are longer than the entire waiting list in England.
“Our schools don’t have enough money to provide basic equipment or a full range of opportunities for our children.
“The most vulnerable in our communities face increasing poverty if we reach the cliff edge for welfare mitigations early next year.
“And the threat of Brexit hangs over us all.
“After 1000 days, the strategies employed by the DUP and Sinn Féin have failed.
“A negotiation where both sides are trying to score against the other will not restore government here.
“I am renewing our call today for each of the leaders of the North’s political parties to agree in principle to substantial reform of the Petition of Concern.
“If the goal in these negotiations is to force the DUP to vote for an Irish Language Act, we will not succeed.
“If the goal is to force others to abandon people who have had their rights denied, we will not succeed. Any approach based on victory or defeat will not succeed.
“And if we cannot reach a consensus on reform then we should have a time-bound suspension of the Assembly veto to allow all of the contentious issues to be debated and voted on by the elected representatives people here chose,” added Mr Eastwood.
“1000 days after the collapse of power sharing, let’s commit to something that brings us together.”
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