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Defector accuses Alliance of having no major influence

By Noel McAdam
Tuesday, 15 September 2009

Alliance-defector-turned-Tory Ian Parsley has said his former party is politically “absent” from most of Northern Ireland.

Alliance’s last European candidate said it has no concrete links to secure political influence.

The North Down councillor said: “The simple fact is that it is not that I felt disenchanted by the Alliance Party, but rather that I was hugely impressed by the work of the Conservative Party.

“In the end, the Alliance Party remains absent politically from most of Northern Ireland and has no concrete links to secure influence at other levels.

“Having always been sympathetic to the Conservative Party in Great Britain, once they made their intentions clear, not just about Northern Ireland but also about the Shared Future programme, I came to the conclusion that that is where my future lay.”

An Alliance spokesman said it had no comment to make on Mr Parsley’s remarks.

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The Alliance started out with good intentions. A challenge to the Unionist manopoly, Although quietly unionist themselves they tried and were somewhat successful at attracting at least members from both sides of the religious divide. Sadly to say when you try to sit on the fence and be all things to all men all you get is a sharp pain in your butt.

Posted by fred needham | 15.09.09, 13:56 GMT