18 March 1999 Edition

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Proportionality - Equality for Belfast nationalists

By Dan O'Neill

Throughout the history of Belfast City Council, unionists have discriminated against nationalists, whether it be through the lack of funds allocated to nationalist areas or attacks on the Irish culture and language. Unionist domination of the institutions of City Hall has been achieved through their control of the committees and sub-committees that determine policy and allocate funding.

Sinn Fein currently has the biggest electoral mandate in Belfast, with 27.6% of the vote and jointly with the UUP is the largest party in City Hall with 13 seats, yet they are denied senior posts.

The chairmanships and vice-chairmanships of committees and sub-committees have been divided up in backroom cross-party deals to the exclusion of Sinn Fein.

However, the days of this form of undemocratic practice are over after the council voted on 1 March for a historic power sharing scheme. Power will be shared in line with party strength under the d'Hondt system of proportionality, as used in the Assembly.

Introduced against unionist opposition, the new system will see an increase in nationalist and in particular Sinn Fein's share of senior posts on the council committees and sub-committees.

At present Sinn Fein are grossly under represented, holding only two chairs in the Housing Liaison (Bobby Lavery) and Cultural Diversity (Sean Hayes) committees, and three vice-chairs, in the Arts sub-committee (Tom Hartley), Community and Leisure sub-committee (Gerard O'Neill) and Contract and Services (Marie Moore). A total of five.

Thus with 25.49% of seats Sinn Fein have only secured 13.9% of the total chairs. Yet the UUP with the same seats in the council as Sinn Fein hold eight chairs and five vice-chairs, 36.1% of total chairs. While the DUP and Alliance Party are also over represented. The DUP with seven councillors hold 16.7% of the total chairs and the Alliance with one seat less hold 11.1% of the senior posts. The SDLP, despite the same number of seats as the DUP hold only 8.3% of total chairs.

Nationalists with almost 40% of the seats on Belfast City Council hold only 22.2% of the total chairs.

But these figures do not give a clear indication of the true extent of discrimination against nationalists in the allocation of posts. In January 1998, 93% of chairs on Belfast City Council were held by unionists and 87% of all vice chairs were occupied by the unionist parties.

Recent improvements for nationalist parties have only come about through the meteoric rise in the Sinn Fein vote ever since Alex Maskey became the first Sinn Fein representative elected to the council in 1983.

The May 1997 local government election, with massive Sinn Fein gains, was the beginning of the end for the unionist domination in Belfast City Council.

This historic victory for Belfast nationalists now means that the total of 36 chairpersonships and vice-chairpersonships are to be split into two groups and divided equally according to party strength with the posts rotating so that no one party can hold the same post consecutively.

And Sinn Fein will expect to chair five committees and another five vice-chairs thus doubling their present figures. The UUP will lose three chair positions, the DUP one and the Alliance Party will remain the same. The SDLP will gain two posts.

Sinn Fein has been central in the fight to have a system of proportionality used at City Hall.

Lower Falls councillor Tom Hartley last year took Belfast City council to court to highlight discrimination against nationalists in the council and argue for a system of proportionality. Despite agreement from the judge that the present system was unfair he ruled that he had no powers to change the legislation, and only Lord Dubs, minister for Local Government could do so.

However, this brought the issue of proportionality to the fore in the council and the Sinn Fein group on Belfast City Council subsequently pushed the proposal for proportionality through the various stages in the council.

A report on the d'Hondt system as a standing order will now be given to the Policy and Resources Committee this week and then it will go to the next full council meeting on 1 April for ratification. After this, the new system will be used for the third term of the present council which begins in June.

Tom Hartley explains that the aim of introducing the new system was to ensure ``fairness'' for all parties on the council.

``Through the efforts of Sinn Fein to have proportionality there is now a fairer system of representation on committees and sub-committees. All parties will gain through this.''

``The achievement of proportionality represents a step forward for the nationalists of Belfast. Sinn Fein has consistently highlighted the issue over the years. This issue lies at the very heart of local government. It is about the ability of local councillors to represent their constituents.''

Undoubtedly, Sinn Fein has played a significant part in changing Belfast City Council from one motivated by bigotry, sectarianism and domination, ruled by Unionists into a more legitimate and fair political forum. Before Sinn Fein went into City Hall, many nationalists accepted playing second-fiddle to unionists but the election of Alex Maskey in 1983 heralded the arrival of assertive nationalist representation.

Since 1983 Sinn Fein has gone from being the smallest party in council to the largest after the May 1997 local government elections, and have won many significant victories along the way. The achievement of proportionality, however, is the single most significant victory for nationalists in the history of Belfast City Council.

The Sinn Fein victory in Belfast has also encouraged their counterparts in Lisburn council.

Sinn Fein councillor Paul Butler is set to follow Hartley's example by taking Lisburn Council to court to highlight similar discrimination against Sinn Fein, using the precedent set in Belfast. Despite being the second largest party in Lisburn with four councillors, Sinn Fein have been denied any chairs or vice-chairs while the DUP, with only two seats, chair a committee and have a post in the Strategic Policy Committee

As Tom Hartley explained the hard work in Belfast City Council is not over yet, ``there is still bad practice in relation to the selection of the Lord Mayor. Republicans expect that as the largest party on Belfast City Council they have a right to occupy this position. Hopefully it won't be too long before we see a Sinn Fein Lord Mayor in Belfast.''

Already Sinn Fein group have selected Alex Maskey as their nominee for the post. Alex Maskey as Lord Mayor of Belfast, another major victory for Sinn Fein.

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