NI Conservatives’ vice chair, Trevor Ringland, has suggested that ‘a convention of the centre-ground’ should meet to ensure that the ‘silent majority in Northern Ireland, who simply want to get on with their lives’ have their concerns addressed.
“We’ve heard plenty about Unionist forums and people’s forums set up to address the concerns of a section of the population which is involved in flags protests”, Trevor said. “But the vast majority of people, whether they are unionist, nationalist or neither, and irrespective of their religion, are simply fed up with having their lives disrupted, their economy damaged and, increasingly, violence on the streets. We want a convention which looks across the community to consider everyone’s concerns.”
“The political leadership coming from the executive parties is currently non-existent. At Assembly level we have no progress on a CSI strategy and there seems to be a movement towards forming sectarian blocks. Across various councils around the country decisions are being made which are exacerbating rather than combating division. It’s important for people who want to represent the middle-ground to come together to look at how the concerns of the vast majority can be articulated.”
“NI Conservatives stand for the silent majority in Northern Ireland, who want to get on with their lives, work hard, build a better future for their children and share a peaceful community with their neighbours. We are keen to work with anyone who wants to move beyond the politics of tribalism toward a more constructive system, where the focus is on day to day issues which make a real difference to people’s lives. A shared out future is not an option.”