GENERAL ELECTION: People Before Profit's Carroll will offer 'a principled voice'

PEOPLE Before Profit MLA Gerry Carroll says he will offer a "principled voice" for the people of West Belfast in the upcoming General Election.

Voters will go to the polls on July 4.

“I am honoured to contest the election for People Before Profit and to offer a principled voice for the people of West Belfast,” he said. “For too long people in my community have been let down by those who have decimated public services, impoverished countless households, and put their own ideological interests above the welfare of working class people.

“The Tories look set to be given the boot after 14 crisis-ridden years. Good riddance. Their elitist political project has seen the worst drop in living standards since records began. They leave behind a brutal legacy of austerity, gross wealth inequality, political scandal, and deep-seated division. 

“Executive parties who have tailed the Tory’s rotten policies should also answer for the devastation they have caused. Decades of Stormont misrule, coupled with forthcoming budget cuts, give voters every reason to reject Stormont's political establishment.

“I will fight this election to demand investment in our health, education, and community services. I will use my platform to advance the demands of striking workers and to speak to the needs of all working class people across the sectarian divide.

“People Before Profit will be a voice against the cuts that Stormont wants to impose on our communities. We will stand up for those on health waiting lists or struggling to see a GP, for those being fleeced through extortionate childcare, rent, and mortgage costs.

“Israel’s genocide in Gaza and the plight of the Palestinian people will also be front and centre in our campaign. Those in power have failed the people of Palestine. We will use every opportunity we have to demand a ceasefire, for sanctions against Israel, and for Palestinian liberation. 

"The Stormont establishment cannot be trusted to represent communities like West Belfast. They’ve failed us time and again. It’s time for an alternative.”