Sinn Fein angry at 'exclusion'

Sinn Fein are angry at missing out on top council posts

Unionists on Lisburn City Council are sending out a message that Catholics "need not apply" Sinn Fein has claimed.

The party is demanding power-sharing be introduced, after the Ulster Unionists and the DUP took up all the senior council posts between them, cutting out Sinn Fein, the SDLP and Alliance last month.

Sinn Fein was due to table a motion on Tuesday, asking the council to adopt the D'hondt system, which allocates posts according to party strength.

However, the proposal was referred back to the council's strategic policy committee.

In some ways Lisburn is the last bastion of unionist domination in Northern Ireland Sinn Fein councillor Paul Butler

To pass, the motion would require support from all the parties, including some unionists.

The party earlier said if such a motion failed they would call on the British Government to dissolve the council and have an administrator run it. They also said they would consider taking the council to court.

At a news conference on Tuesday, Sinn Fein's chairman, Mitchel McLaughlin, said Lisburn was now the only city in Northern Ireland that did not share power.

"The message that it sends out at this time of political uncertainty to Catholics or nationalists in Lisburn is one of, no need to apply as far as Lisburn City Council is concerned," he said.

But Ulster Unionists have rejected claims they are trying to exclude Catholics. Councillor Ivan Davis said the decision was reached democratically.

"All the groups negotiate each year, it's whatever the groups decide it's democracy - the wheeling and dealing goes on, decisions are taken, that's the way it is and that's what we have to accept," he said.

Sinn Fein Councillor Paul Butler said Lisburn was in some ways "the last bastion of unionist domination" in Northern Ireland and should be "politically isolated" if it did not change.