The Alliance Party is Northern Ireland's fifth biggest party and currently holds one seat in the house of commons. They split their policies into six separate sections, so I will do the same. Please bear in mind that this is an overview of the Alliance Party's policies, and those seeking more information should look to the relevant pages of the Alliance website by clicking the heading titles. Shared Future The party is focussed on bringing together the separate groups in Northern Ireland to work as a unified community. Northern Ireland has a long history of conflict based on differences between Catholics and Protestants, and between the political unification of Northern Ireland as part of the UK, or Northern Ireland as part of the nation of Ireland. Despite a peace agreement in 1998, these groups are still very much at odds in the community and resulting violence is not uncommon. Alliance's 'Shared Future' policies promote bringing these groups together. They include making sure that all governmental spending is directed at projects that emphasise sharing over separation. This means, for example, that facilities for healthcare, leisure and education would all be built with the explicit aim of ensuring shared use. A more concrete example is a minimum target of 20% of children in integrated education by 2020, backed up by legislation which will make it easier to establish new integrated schools and help other schools to integrate. Economy Alliance's economic policy seems generally to favour small, independent and high-street business. They would like the Assembly (Irish equivalent of parliament) to have 'tax varying powers' so that they can regulate corporation taxes and “other taxes which have an economic impact”. However, they want less general regulation over small businesses to aid their growth. They would also put pressure on banks and governmental departments to make money available for small businesses to expand. They also intend to support outside business investment, by ensuring a strategic approach to spending on infrastructure. This means making sure roads, water supplies and other necessaries for society are in place for those who might be considering coming to Northern Ireland to set up a business or branch of a business. They have plans to stimulate investment in renewable energy and energy efficiency, and to support industries where Northern Ireland has 'significant potential', such as tourism and ICT. Education & Skills Alliance want to create a separate management authority for the education system that they hope will streamline the bureaucracy that currently exists and make sure money is spent effectively. They also want to spend more money on early and primary education than is currently spent. This is because, they say, “it is proven that these [stages] are the most important factor in determining how well a child will do in later life.” They wish to use the 'Entitlement Framework', a curriculum policy for post 14 year olds, to ensure that all pupils have access to the same mix of learning opportunities and careers guidance. They also hope to provide additional resources to children with learning disabilities to ensure they can reach their potential, and to pilot a program for numeracy and literacy in all schools that targets those most in need of assistance. Health Alliance's health policies begin by stating that “The National Health Service should be universal and free at the point of use.” They make clear the current financial restrictions of the NHS, and explain that they are therefore focussing on ways to improve services whilst saving money. Examples of this include supporting patients and service users in their own homes, using technology in the hope of improving healthcare efficiency, and tackling issues such as obesity, smoking and alcohol abuse at their root cause. They wish to do away with artificial targets so that the real needs of patients are focussed on. They also want those who require continual care, such as the elderly or permanently disabled, to play an active role in deciding how they are cared for. They also wish to make sure mental health and well-being is taken seriously and has no stigma. Environment Alliance describe themselves as an environmentalist party that supports a sustainable Northern Ireland as part of a sustainable world. They want to invest in renewable energy rather than fracking; legislate for a target to reduce Northern Ireland's emission by 80% by 2050; and protect the natural landscape of Northern Ireland by setting higher targets for woodland creation, supporting endangered animals such as the Irish Hare. They also want a 'Green New Deal', a government backed initiative to to stimulate investment in renewable energy and energy efficiency. The hopes for the Green New Deal include cutting carbon dioxide emissions per household and creating or sustaining jobs in environment related construction projects. The page of the Alliance website detailing more information about the Green New Deal is not available at time of writing. Justice The criminal justice system in Northern Ireland has only relatively recently changed from being controlled by Westminster to being controlled by Northern Ireland itself. This is a process called devolution, where a centralised body transfers control of a system to a localised body. Alliance have a page of their website dedicated to the transfer of these powers, in which it sets out key goals for the continued success of the devolution. These goals focus on improving fairness, efficiency and Alliance's 'shared future' principles in the criminal justice system. A couple of examples of these goals include, reforming the legal aid system so that the disadvantaged in society have access to funding and other resources; creating a group that examines whether mental health and personality disorder issues have been better dealt with by the criminal justice system; and developing a formal set of guidelines on sentencing and the enforcement of judgements.
