20/03/2014 Party Political Broadcast: Alliance

Amazing changes happen to our lives

when people embrace forward-thinking ideas.

It's easy to forget just how powerful we can be

when we step forward and choose something new.

100 years ago, women in Northern Ireland stepped forward.

A few at first, but the numbers quickly grew.

They'd had enough of the way things were.

They wanted equal rights to vote for the people who governed them.

The idea that women shouldn't have the same rights to vote as men

seems extraordinary now

but it only happened because women stepped forward.

50 years later, in Europe and the USA,

another generation stepped forward,

seeking equal votes for everyone and an end to discrimination.

Some in authority tried to resist but the case for change

and the numbers demanding it were too strong.

All over the world, change happens when people step forward.

Even here.

In 1998, three out of every four people stepped forward

to endorse the Good Friday Agreement,

making clear their intention that no-one,

whether politician or paramilitary, should take Northern Ireland back.

That belief in the power of people to change things motivated those

who stepped forward and started the Alliance Party over 40 years ago

and it's still what drives us to promote big, forward steps today.

Big steps like making all our public spaces shared,

where everyone feels safe to live, work and play,

free from the intimidation

that comes from having flags and murals that say "Keep Out".

But not all politicians support change.

After all, it's easy to say, "No," to stand still

or, worse, to take steps backwards.

Much harder to step forward into the future

and imagine shared schools where children from different backgrounds

are taught together and learn to respect each other's culture.

Not to mention the millions of taxpayers' pounds

it saves us every year.

But this isn't our only plan to help Northern Ireland

take big steps forward.

We also want to reduce needless, wasteful bureaucracy

and to make public services more transparent,

to invest in better childcare, innovation and sustainable transport,

in education, apprenticeships and youth employment initiatives.

But to take these positive steps forward,

we first need you to do the same.

If you want Northern Ireland to be a better place for everyone,

do what people have been doing in record numbers in recent years -

step forward, join Alliance.