From the outset I would consider myself anti-Stormont and believe voter turnout could be below 50%. The majority of Catholics do not vote in elections. The Both Lives Matter initiative targets evangelicals and Cherish The Nation Equally are urging those in the Irish republican tradition to speak out on life issues.
Catholic Nationalists are very active. There is interest in a new Catholic political movement but this will take time and planning. Many of these areas in the North are very communist. Hopefully even those that don't vote will help Precious Life in some way over the coming weeks.
If the voter turnout is below 50% it shows people are not represented by this Stormont assembly. Even Unionists are looking at the idea of self governing within a United or Federal Ireland.
‘Making the Right to Life the Most Important Issue in the NI Assembly Election’http://www.preciouslife.com/news/370/making-the-right-to-life-the-most-important-issue-in-the-ni-assembly-election/Precious Life, the leading pro-life organisation in Northern Ireland, is running a ‘Vote Pro-Life’ Campaign across the six counties, challenging the people throughout Northern Ireland to vote only for pro-life candidates on Thursday 2nd March 2017.
As part of this campaign, information evenings are being held to inform members of the public of the political parties’ positions on abortion and how the transferable vote system works in the Assembly elections. Regarding the latter, attendees are advised to use their vote carefully, so as not to inadvertently boost the chances of a pro-abortion candidate winning a seat in the Northern Ireland Assembly, as has been the case in the past.
Meetings have been held in major cities and towns across Northern Ireland. More meeting are in the process of being arranged,
Bernadette Smyth, the director of Precious Life, comments on the positive response to the ‘Vote Pro-Life’ campaign:
“The full attendance at these meetings and the fact that our office is being bombarded with phone calls from interested individuals asking for meetings to be brought to their town or cities show that the abortion issue is the most important election issue for the people of Northern Ireland. The pro-life majority want to know which candidates in their constituency are ’Pro-Woman, Pro-Baby, Pro-Life’ and they won’t vote for anyone who cannot promise to defend the right to life of all unborn children. The message is clear: without the right to life, all other rights are meaningless.”
Precious Life will be placing advertisements in the leading newspapers to promote its upcoming Red Letter Day for Unborn Babies on Friday 24th February 2017.
“On this day, people across Northern Ireland will be contacting their candidates by phone, email, Facebook and Twitter to ask them one question: ‘If elected, will you defend the right to life of all unborn children?’ If the particular candidate does not vow to protect unborn children with life-limiting disabilities, he or she cannot be considered a suitable candidate for Stormont,” concludes Bernadette Smyth.