WP urges civic support for Belfast Agreement

Trade unions, business organisations and community groups must mobilise in support of the troubled Belfast Agreement, Mr Tom French, president of the Workers Party, told the party's annual Northern conference in Belfast at the weekend.

Mr French said the party was making contact with the British and Irish governments, the pro-agreement parties and civic organisations calling on them to act together to stop the erosion of confidence in the agreement.

"The two governments must act quickly to reverse this position and to halt the dangerous drift and vacuum which is developing before our very eyes," he said at the conference on Saturday. "We must rebuild the popular support and enthusiasm demonstrated in the past for the agreement."

He expressed concern that the future of the agreement appeared to be reduced "to a head to head between Sinn Fein and the Ulster Unionists".

"It is not the property of the political parties alone. As we have stated before, there are a great many individuals and legitimate public social organisations and institutions - civic society - which have contributed enormously to this process. Their voices must be given a chance to be heard again. Political parties must listen to the will of the people and deliver in full what they voted for," Mr French told the 300 delegates.

Mr John Lowry, Belfast chairman of the Workers Party, said it was disappointing that the conference was taking place at a time when so much hope was dashed by the impasse. He called for the reinstatement of the institutions and a greater spirit of accommodation from the disputing parties.

During the debates, Mr Ultan Gillen, the party's spokesman on education, accused Sinn Fein's Mr Martin McGuinness of failing to introduce a strategic shift in British government policy to wards integrated education when he was the education minister.

While he welcomed Mr McGuinness's announcement of fun ding for two integrated schools, he had not developed any strategic plan for such education. There was little chance of any integrated schools being built in the next five years.

Ms Lily Kerr, the party spokeswoman on health and social services, said the executive and the assembly had lost an opportunity to influence the future shape of healthcare. She called for greater investment in the health services.

"It is vital to ensure immediate funding is made available for more intensive-care beds, the reopening of surgical and medical beds within hospitals and the purchasing of new ambulances, along with the recruitment of additional ambulance personnel and healthcare staff."

Mr Paddy Lynn, spokesman on the economy, called for the establishment of an "economic think tank" to "map out a strategic economic plan to combat poverty and unemployment".