A broad coalition of independent socialists who have banded together under the Labour umbrella to contest the May 30th election hope to establish a "third strand" in Northern politics.
The main aim of the Northern Ireland Labour group is to win two of the 20 "top-up" seats in the election and achieve the status of one of the main left wing parties in Northern Ireland, ahead of the `Workers' Party and Democratic Left.
The group does not have the imprimaturs of the British Labour Party, which has links with the SDLP. It was formed by independent Labour councillors, trade unionists and the No Going Back group established after the IRA Canary Wharf bombing.
It will have candidates in all 18 constituencies and, if successful, might evolve into a party in its own right, its representatives stated.
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