The SDLP, Alliance Party and Green Party unveiled their manifestos this week. First up was the SDLP whose party leader Dr Alasdair McDonnell MP MLA is facing a real battle to hold his South Belfast seat. Dr McDonnell resorted to good old-fashioned political rhetoric when he called for ‘prosperity over austerity’.
The SDLP are arguing for greater economic powers, including the ability to issue bonds to support infrastructure projects. The party want the minimum wage to be set by the Stormont Executive and to have control over energy and natural resources.
The SDLP reaffirmed its commitment to a United Ireland but argues that Stormont should remain as part of that arrangement. Not surprisingly the SDLP ruled out supporting the Conservative Party in the event of a hung parliament.
During the launch Dr McDonnell pledged to set up a Scottish-style commission on devolving fiscal powers to Northern Ireland during the next parliament. While the SDLP has traditionally been seen as a sister party of the Labour Party, behind the scenes at Westminster the SDLP MPs have strong ties with the SNP MPs and admire much of what has been achieved by the SNP in the Scottish Parliament.
Deputy Leader of the Alliance Party Naomi Long was front and centre of the Alliance Party’s manifesto launch this week. Long was responsible for causing one of the biggest upsets at the 2010 General Election when she unseated First Minister Peter Robinson. This time around she requires a ‘perfect storm’ if she is to hold her seat due to an electoral pact between the DUP and UUP in East Belfast. The manifesto ‘Step Forward, Not Back’ highlights Ms Long’s voting record at Westminster on things like welfare reform and tuition fees.
One proposal from the Alliance Party that may not be popular among voters is a proposal for a water charge, which the party says would be accompanied by a reduction in rates. Given how the proposed introduction of water charges was received in the South of Ireland, it is fair to say the introduction of water charges here would be just as strongly opposed, even if the charge was offset by a reduction in rates.
In the event of a hung parliament Long said that the values of other parties would influence any decisions they may make. Traditionally the Alliance Party has been a sister party of the Liberal Democrats though she has not been afraid to vote against the coalition government during the past five years.
Finally the Green Party’s manifesto ‘The Common Good’ was released this week with a commitment to prioritise the protection of public services over austerity.
It is fair to say that none of these party manifestos are breaking any new ground. What does seem clear is that political party’s here seem resigned to the fact we will have a hung parliament. It will be interesting to see how closely political parties stick to their manifesto pledges if and when the horse-trading begins on May 8th.