Dear Editor,
The impending polls, which will dictate the future government of the United Kingdom, offer no such privilege to voters residing in Northern Ireland. While the rest of the UK will decide between Conservatives and Labour, Northern Ireland is excluded from such choices.
The looming election feels artificially skewed here, as the Labour Party – predicted to potentially secure power – flatly refuses to run representatives in Northern Ireland, thus disenfranchising voters and curtailing core democratic rights.
There’s widespread discontent with the fragmented state of our politics. People fail to recognise that the root cause of this instability is the Labour Party’s restriction on candidates, which squashes our democratic political freedoms. In the absence of Labour party contenders, voters are unwittingly herded into communal factions thereby deepening the divides within our society.
According to recent surveys conducted by Lucid Talk, there’s significant potential for cross-sectarian support for the Labour Party. This showcases the potential of a new political landscape from a zero base. If reconciliation is genuinely on the national agenda, it’s high time to stop the outrageous repression of Labour’s electoral politics in Northern Ireland.
Yours faithfully,
Boyd Black,
Secretary,
Labour Party in Northern Ireland,
Belfast.