On the hustings

Election to the assembly takes place on Wednesday 26 November

BBC News Online takes a look at the political statements in the election campaign to the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Thursday 13 November 2003

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Ian Paisley, DUP, North Antrim

The nomination (by the Orange Order and Independent Orange Order Grand Masters of Ian Paisley, Ian Paisley Junior and Mervyn Storey) sends out a strong and powerful message that the DUP is the real and genuine unifying voice of the unionist people and the DUP has the endorsement of leading lights in the Protestant and unionist community.

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Joe Byrne, SDLP, West Tyrone
It would seem that European money from the Peace II fund is definitely going to be paid back to Europe at the end of the year because it has not been spent locally. That is a disgrace, especially since there are countless numbers of community organisations who are literally closing their doors through lack of finance. The direct rule ministers share responsibility for this scandalous situation and they must explain what action they intend to take.

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Trudy Miller, Women's Coalition, South Down
Integrated education can contribute to breaking down barriers and tackling prejudice in our society. We want to give more support to integrated education and community relations training for teachers. Teacher training is the only university subject which is segregated, but we would work for the establishment of an integrated teacher training college.

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Pauline Armitage, UKUP, East Londonderry
The SDLP has made it quite clear they are aiming for a united Ireland. So if any UUP voter transfers to that, I would be surprised but maybe then I shouldn't be after what I have witnessed in the past five years. The policy of the Ulster Unionist Party appears to almost be: 'a united Ireland - wait a wee while, we'll work on it'.

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Michael McGimpsey, UUP, Belfast South
The DUP election broadcast is a diatribe which has plumbed new depths in negativity. If this is the best the DUP can offer, then they're in trouble. There wasn't one constructive suggestion in the entire lecture by Peter Robinson, whose attempt to frighten voters is pathetic in the extreme. His performance, and that's exactly what it was, was packed with falsehoods, crammed with inaccuracies and stacked with doom and gloom.

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Stephen Farry, Alliance Party, North Down
It is clear that the campaign to undermine the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission continues. The commission has bent over backwards to address the misplaced concerns that have been levelled against it by its critics. The publication of the Action Plan should have marked at end to the sniping.

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