This week we found out that the Northern Ireland economy grew marginally by 1.4%, but the use of food banks hit record levels in a report by the Trussell Trust published this morning. This shows that output is slowly returning, but that the quality of life in Northern Ireland still remains lower than anyone wants to see or experience.
The manifesto onslaught continued in the last few days with the launch of the UKIP, TUV, SDLP and DUP election pledges. Next week we will see the Alliance Party lay out their proposal with Sinn Fein likely to follow suit. This makes for an interesting time for Sinn Fein and political observers as the ongoing negotiations to form a government in the Republic of Ireland roll on at a time when they are attempting to outline an all-island strategy.
The first debate with the leaders of the five main political parties took place on Wednesday evening with reasonable enough performances from the well-known faces. Colum Eastwood, the newly elected leader of the SDLP, had most to prove as the new kid on the block and did well by performing strongly and holding his own against the other four.
However, it masked a rather difficult week for the party who launched their manifesto amid party unrest in West Tyrone which witnessed the resignation of three councillors and seven party members over the selection of the candidate for the upcoming election, Daniel McCrossan, who served as a co-opted MLA in Stormont for the last few months of its existence.
Arlene Foster, the new leader of the DUP and Northern Ireland’s First Minister, has put a firm stamp on the party’s election campaign by outlining ‘Arlene’s Vision for Northern Ireland and Arlene’s Plan for Northern Ireland’. The DUP has always been led by strong personalities and it seems that the Paisley and Robinson era have now been put to bed. Foster wants to be returned as First Minister and, in fairness, is the right woman for the job. A hard worker, she is likely to use the next term create her own lasting legacy.