Leader's speech: Politics in Northern Ireland could be reduced to "a bad soap opera" unless there was movement in the peace process, Alliance leader David Ford told more than 300 delegates at his party's annual conference at a hotel outside Belfast at the weekend.
He said Alliance would not allow the North to move "from a paramilitary-dominated society to a mafia-dominated one".
He said that while Northern Ireland was seen internationally as a "relative success story", the rest of the world could not understand the lack of political progress. "There is utter amazement that local politicians cannot get their act together."
Meanwhile at home there was "a growing cynicism among the general public over a stalled peace process". Vital tasks in relation to the economy, public services, environment, upholding the rule of law and tackling sectarian divisions needed to be urgently addressed.
"I became involved in politics because I believed the democratic process was the right and the effective way to make positive change in this society. But if others in other parties are not careful, more and more people will feel that democratic politics has no real contribution to make to their lives. The political process will be reduced to a bad soap opera."
Welcoming the "very significant" decommissioning of IRA weapons, Mr Ford recognised there had been "momentous progress" on that front but he questioned whether republicans and loyalists fully understood what was required of them.
"There is no place in politics for those who rob banks, smuggle fuel, intimidate, threaten and exile," he said. Praising recent reports from the Independent Monitoring Commission, he said: "The IMC in their detailed report called it right."
Delegates applauded as he continued, "The last IMC report was equivalent to that classic school report that some of us used to get, the mediocre student's report: 'Some progress, but must try harder. Does not always show he understands the fundamentals'.
"It really is time that republicans showed they understand the fundamentals of a normal peaceful society . . .
"There must be no shootings or bombings. There must also be no street violence, no paramilitary beatings, no intelligence-gathering or targeting. There must be no criminal activity of any kind.
"They must also co-operate fully in bringing wrongdoers to justice. Republicans must demonstrate their full support for upholding the rule of law. Alliance is not going to allow Northern Ireland to move from a paramilitary-dominated society to a mafia-dominated one."
But it would be wrong to suggest that republicans were the only ones on the wrong side of the law: "There remains a considerable problem of loyalist terrorism and organised crime too. The feud raging between dissident republicans and the Provisional IRA in Ballymurphy is equalled in every single, squalid respect by the turf wars over drug empires in east Belfast."
He added that, "while loyalists have almost abandoned terrorism for money-making, they retain the ability to twist political events their way. Just remember those post-Whiterock riots last September". Commenting on the stance of unionist leaders at the time, he asked: "When the Orange Order stages an illegal march, why can't unionists put the blame where it belongs? When UVF gunmen shoot at police officers, why do unionists pretend it is the fault of the police?"
The Alliance leader described the "so-called" Comprehensive Agreement issued by the British and Irish Governments in December 2004 as "a failed document" which did not address the core issues and was simply "an attempt at a quick fix" between the Democratic Unionist Party and Sinn Féin.
He said that "since ministers now appear to recognise some of the flaws in the workings of the [ Belfast] Agreement", he would continue to call on them to deal with fundamental issues. "The agreement says that the two Governments are active participants in the process of reviewing the agreement. They must take the initiative in a truly comprehensive and inclusive process and not just leave it to the parties to engage in a further round of sectarian trade-offs and side deals. The Governments cannot escape their responsibilities."