Lack of transparency and vested interests at Northern Ireland's Executive are undermining democracy, the Green Party said today.
Opaque party funding and the absence of an effective opposition at Stormont has made voters sceptical, party leader John Gormley told members at the annual conference in Belfast.
The Minister for the Environment told delegates popular concern about issues like climate change presented a unique opportunity to his party.
Green Party leader John Gormley
"In the absence of an effective political opposition at the Northern Ireland Assembly, there is a certain amount of scepticism about the prospects for a truly open, transparent and accountable Executive," he said.
There is widespread discontent with the all-party coalition and future mandates of the Assembly could include a review of the system.
"Unique arrangements that limit disclosure of sources of party funding combined with a deep-rooted suspicion that developers have an undue influence on decision-making, undermine democracy," Mr Gormley added.
He said Ireland had missed an opportunity in failing to invest properly in wind energy and the same potential must not be lost for tidal power. "I spoke about wind power in the early 1980's and it was pooh-poohed," he said. "The Danes and the Germans didn't have the same attitude and made the investment and became world leaders, even though their resources were not a fraction of ours.
"We have these resources in our seas and elsewhere and we need to tap into climate change and energy efficiency needs to go centre-stage in northern politics."
He underlined his opposition to a nuclear power plant at Derry, a proposal already been dismissed by Derry City Council.
The conference also heard calls for Office of the First and Deputy First Minister Ian Paisley Jnr to resign. Member Peter Doran highlighted the North Antrim MLA's links to developer Seymour Sweeney and his acceptance of a Westminster salary while working at the Assembly during today's Belfast meeting.
"I believe that Junior's position as a Minister in the Executive has become untenable," he said. "It is an ironic twist that the man from a family who have built careers on calls for others to resign must now consider his own position."
The party's only Stormont MLA, Brian Wilson, said the Executive had failed to deliver on policies to boost the environment. Lack of progress on an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and withdrawal of money for renewable energy questions the devolved administration's commitment to meaningful change, he added. The conference closed today.
PA