Every vote will count in North Belfast, Gerry Kelly says as he launches Westminster campaign

UNLIKE the unionist parties – who have always taken North Belfast for granted, Gerry Kelly said at his election convention night on Wednesday – as the new MP he would represent all the citizens in this Westminster constituency that has taken the greatest number of casualties and fatalities of any constituency.

It also suffers a huge legacy of grief and disadvantage, and still suffers sectarianism and a growing racism, the Sinn Féin MLA said.

“Our office on the Antrim Road is increasingly representing people from across the communities because Sinn Féin delivers. I am not here tonight to score points against Nigel Dodds but I am here to hold out the hand of co-operation in the first instance. North Belfast has suffered more than other areas because of division.

“People are looking to us to show leadership. Whether it’s contentious parades or inward investment or tackling sectarianism or racism, people expect us to work together to uplift the lives of all the people that we represent.

“We have already started.  Despite the divisions and difficulties, we reached out to the DUP and UUP and got agreement on Girdwood for the Hub and for housing and for pitches that can accommodate rugby, soccer and Gaelic .”

He said that, along with Arts & Sports Minister Carál Ní Chuilín and other Sinn Fein leaders, he entered the Stormont House talks process to protect the most vulnerable in our society against the Tory onslaught on the welfare state.

“We achieved that protection in the Stormont House Agreement. But we are not naive. We will be vigilant in its implementation. We wanted a new legacy architecture to deal with the hurt of the many victims of the past. Against the odds, I believe, we have achieved that also.”

And like Fermanagh & South Tyrone – whose Sinn Féin MP Michelle Gildernew attended Gerry Kelly’s launch – and every other constituency, every vote counts, Gerry Kelly stressed.

“We can take this seat. SDLP have their part to play. We offered co-operation and they rejected it. I am appealing directly to the voters. A vote for the SDLP in North Belfast is in essence a vote for the DUP. Every vote counts – ask Michelle Gildernew, where a single vote made the difference. What a change it would be to have a republican MP in North Belfast. Its effect is much wider than this constituency.

“It is a message that all is changed, that we are not going back to the past. A message to all those unionists or otherwise who are against the Peace Process and progress.

“Give me your vote. I guarantee that it will not be wasted. It is a vote to move forward, a vote for progress and reconciliation – a vote that will be used to bring people together.”