Paddy Lynn is running as candidate for the Workers' Party in South Belfast and believes politics here at present is unsustainable and a detriment to working-class people.
Speaking with South Belfast News about his vision for South Belfast and his background as an healthcare worker, Paddy said: “I’m a Good Friday child. I want to see a change for South Belfast for generations to come. I find politics here a hard nut to crack. I grew up in South Belfast, I currently work for NHS. I know how hard things have become not only for people in South Belfast but across Northern Ireland in general. I want to do anything I can do to help move things along and improve people’s lives for generations to come.
“I want to see a generational change, away from the tribalism and sectarianism into politics that focuses on social issues and economics, and what real people face every day, including myself.
“The established parties, such as the DUP and Sinn Féin, know too well about being paid by the government whereas I’m on the opposite side of the spectrum and I’m fighting to get elected on the basis of integrating with people, working with people and focusing on real issues. Getting back to grassroots is what’s needed.”
Paddy said the biggest issue facing people is not Green and Orange politics, but bread and butter issues such as the cost of living crisis, and having a secure roof over their heads and a stable job to go to. Paddy said more needs to be done to address these issues in society.
“The biggest issue is cost of living. There hasn’t been a strategic plan in place to deal with these rises. The Executive didn’t focus enough on these things. It’s okay to give £200 to struggling families, but that doesn’t scratch the surface when Northern Ireland has some of the highest poverty rates in Europe.
“Focusing on the Protocol and Green and Orange politics rather than focusing on improving peoples lives hasn’t helped people. There is massive health inequality, the NHS is under immense pressure without a strategic plan. Not improving conditions for healthcare staff leads to reduced quality of care for patients, and I see it first-hand every day. Our doctors and nurses are completely stretched and can’t provide the best that they can do, but they try and are burning themselves out.
“There is a great need for housing, and it needs to be in public ownership, and not out to private developers. Who can afford to buy a house at the moment, and heat their homes, and fill their cars? Those are the biggest issues. Some people do mention the Protocol, but it’s not the number one issue, but some parties are making it that way.”
Paddy said that everyone should be concerned about the collapse of the Executive and that it was wrong for other parties to be trying to gain votes on the basis that they will not work with others. He added that people need to work together to address the pressing issues affecting everyone in the city.
“That some parties are saying they won’t go back into government is a shocker for me, and it should be a shocker for every person, to say we won’t have a functioning government. Parties saying if you don’t vote for us, you’ll get a Sinn Féin First Minister are pushing scare tactics and it’s got to stop. We need to get back to basic, fundamental human values, which our party will always push for.
“I’m staying focused on what I believe in, which is a fair society, inclusivity for everyone. There is an emergence at the moment of a multitude of parties that have good ideas, such as ours, about bringing this country forward, and without that you just get the same merry-go-round.”
Questioned about the recent split and friction between competing factions within the Workers' Party, Paddy said that all parties have disagreements and things have been made out to be what they aren’t.
“The split isn’t something I know much about, there are a small number of people trying to tarnish what the party has done. Disagreements need to be sorted out by talking with each other, there have been a few loose cannons that have attacked others and said we aren’t running candidates, but we are running candidates.”
He continued: “For too long, Belfast, Northern Ireland and Ireland have been used a pawn to keep down working-class people, and that needs to cease. If we all work properly together, the changes for this place could be beneficial to everybody and help the most vulnerable in society.”
