 |
 |
|
 |
||
|
MAGINNESS CALLS FOR EQUALITY AND A SHARED FUTURE Commenting on reactions to the Deloitte report on the cost of division, he said: “We need a real debate on the issues raised by the report, not a sham fight about choosing either equality or a shared future. We need both and we can have both in a seamless process, provided we take equality as the foundation. “The SDLP absolutely rejects the notion that better community relations can be achieved at the expense of equality. Inequality also has costs. Catholics are still more likely to be out of work and for longer, they wait longer for public sector housing and are more likely to leave school with no qualifications. All these inequalities have implications for community relations. “But we must also have real political commitment to a shared future, and the way the Deloitte report came into the public domain does not exactly inspire confidence. The Office of the First and Deputy First Minister sat on it and failed to publish it until it was requested under the Freedom of Information Act. “A shared future needs genuine sharing of power. Unfortunately it seems the DUP and Sinn Fein prefer to divide power up between themselves rather than share it. That is why it is dangerous if we get a sham debate. “We need to take our divisions seriously and to take the first steps towards sharing in a way that accommodates difference and promotes equality. Sharing doesn’t have to mean denial of identity or dilution of rights – to suggest otherwise is scaremongering and reeks of the old politics of the past. The
SDLP is the party of equality and civil rights – we believe
better relations must be built on a foundation of equality.”
|
||
 |
||
