0:00:10 > 0:00:12Amazing changes happen to our lives
0:00:12 > 0:00:14when people embrace forward-thinking ideas.
0:00:14 > 0:00:17It's easy to forget just how powerful we can be
0:00:17 > 0:00:20when we step forward and choose something new.
0:00:20 > 0:00:23100 years ago, women in Northern Ireland stepped forward.
0:00:23 > 0:00:26A few at first, but the numbers quickly grew.
0:00:26 > 0:00:28They'd had enough of the way things were.
0:00:28 > 0:00:31They wanted equal rights to vote for the people who governed them.
0:00:31 > 0:00:35The idea that women shouldn't have the same rights to vote as men
0:00:35 > 0:00:36seems extraordinary now
0:00:36 > 0:00:40but it only happened because women stepped forward.
0:00:40 > 0:00:4350 years later, in Europe and the USA,
0:00:43 > 0:00:45another generation stepped forward,
0:00:45 > 0:00:49seeking equal votes for everyone and an end to discrimination.
0:00:49 > 0:00:53Some in authority tried to resist but the case for change
0:00:53 > 0:00:56and the numbers demanding it were too strong.
0:00:56 > 0:01:00All over the world, change happens when people step forward.
0:01:00 > 0:01:01Even here.
0:01:01 > 0:01:06In 1998, three out of every four people stepped forward
0:01:06 > 0:01:08to endorse the Good Friday Agreement,
0:01:08 > 0:01:11making clear their intention that no-one,
0:01:11 > 0:01:15whether politician or paramilitary, should take Northern Ireland back.
0:01:15 > 0:01:20That belief in the power of people to change things motivated those
0:01:20 > 0:01:24who stepped forward and started the Alliance Party over 40 years ago
0:01:24 > 0:01:28and it's still what drives us to promote big, forward steps today.
0:01:28 > 0:01:32Big steps like making all our public spaces shared,
0:01:32 > 0:01:35where everyone feels safe to live, work and play,
0:01:35 > 0:01:37free from the intimidation
0:01:37 > 0:01:41that comes from having flags and murals that say "Keep Out".
0:01:41 > 0:01:44But not all politicians support change.
0:01:44 > 0:01:47After all, it's easy to say, "No," to stand still
0:01:47 > 0:01:49or, worse, to take steps backwards.
0:01:49 > 0:01:52Much harder to step forward into the future
0:01:52 > 0:01:55and imagine shared schools where children from different backgrounds
0:01:55 > 0:01:59are taught together and learn to respect each other's culture.
0:01:59 > 0:02:01Not to mention the millions of taxpayers' pounds
0:02:01 > 0:02:03it saves us every year.
0:02:04 > 0:02:07But this isn't our only plan to help Northern Ireland
0:02:07 > 0:02:08take big steps forward.
0:02:08 > 0:02:11We also want to reduce needless, wasteful bureaucracy
0:02:11 > 0:02:14and to make public services more transparent,
0:02:14 > 0:02:19to invest in better childcare, innovation and sustainable transport,
0:02:19 > 0:02:23in education, apprenticeships and youth employment initiatives.
0:02:24 > 0:02:27But to take these positive steps forward,
0:02:27 > 0:02:29we first need you to do the same.
0:02:31 > 0:02:34If you want Northern Ireland to be a better place for everyone,
0:02:34 > 0:02:39do what people have been doing in record numbers in recent years -
0:02:39 > 0:02:41step forward, join Alliance.