The Alliance Party are already off the starting blocks for the next Northern Ireland Assembly election and have declared their South Down candidate.
The South Down Alliance Association met at the Brier’s Country House in Newcastle to officially select Newry Mourne and Down District Council councillor Patrick Brown as the prospective candidate for the 2016 NI Assembly Election.
[caption id="attachment_58977" align="aligncenter" width="493"] Councillor Patrick Brown, centre, has been selected to stand in the next Assembly election in South Down for the Alliance Party. He is pictured with members from the Alliance South Down branch. from left, Mary Smyth-Farr, Michael Healy, Dave Lee, Geraldine McDonald, Kit Gotto and Brian Eggins.[/caption]In his address to the South Down membership, Cllr Brown outlined his proposals for his campaign strategy and said: “I am confident that Alliance stands to make a significant increase in votes in this South Down area, and would not rule out winning its first ever South Down assembly seat.
“I have been an active representative on Newry Mourne and Down District Council and hope to engage with the entire community at a grassroots level to demonstrate my commitment to a positive future for Northern Irish politics.
“With the ongoing political crisis at Stormont, Northern Ireland faces increasing uncertainty and instability brought about by the selfish actions of some of the other executive parties.
“When the next election does take place it is therefore vital that Alliance is prepared to run candidates who will work for everyone for the long-term benefit of Northern Ireland. I am proud to have been selected to represent Alliance and look forward to running a positive, progressive campaign”.
Councillor Brown is currently finishing off a masters degree in international politics at Sheffield University and is looking forward to the engagement during the forthcoming election.
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