When election time comes round in Northern Ireland, people cry out for something different. They say they’re tired of the same faces, the same parties, the same policies, the same divisions.
n West Belfast one man believes the time is right for change. Step forward local businessman Tony Mallon, who says he wants to create a new type of democracy.
An atheist, he wants to take religion out of politics. He says: “If we are to head for a peaceful and shared island, something needs to change. We need to think outside the box.”
If there was a border poll tomorrow he would vote against it as he believes the “British population require safeguards to protect their identity”.
Taking on the might of Sinn Fein on their home ground isn’t for the faint-hearted. He talks like he’s up for the battle, and £11,000 of his MLA salary would go back to the community.
It’s convincing the electorate to go against decades of voting the way they always have that’s standing in his way.