Our society is not how I imagined it would be 15 years on from the Belfast Agreement.
A document which in principle promised to provide so much in terms of offering a historic opportunity for a new beginning to evolve for all the people of Northern Ireland, irrespective of their political class or cultural tradition, has regrettably failed to live up to its full potential in delivering an era of hope and prosperity which we as a collective community and a proud and determined society so richly deserves.
Whilst the Belfast Agreement had many imperfections and required at that time a great leap of faith on behalf of the Unionist Community to agree in principle to potentially sharing power with those who had inflicted so much pain and hurt on our society, it has always been my firm belief that the Ulster Unionist Party first and foremost had the best interests of our peoples at heart in ensuring that future generations from that time on, a generation which I belonged too, never again had to endure the difficult times which my parents` and grandparents` generation had experienced as a result of evil acts of terrorism.
I do not believe there is anyone who can honestly state that we as a society in Northern Ireland have travelled the required distance aspired to in the ethos and spirit of the Belfast Agreement. Most certainly,Northern Irelandis more at peace with itself and a degree of normal politics has been assumed within our Country through the workings of the devolved institutions at Stormont, but can we genuinely say, however, that the real hope which existed at that time of a bright and exciting age for our Province has been fully achieved.
Our Country continues to face many challenges.
Division unfortunately persists and perseveres within our society and regrettably, we find children as young as 15 years old, the age I was in 1998, receiving criminal convictions for spiralling into a cycle of involvement in criminality that stems from the failure to heal those very divisions which continue to exist in Northern Ireland.
If we are to move forward as a society and ensure that no more young people find themselves in the unfortunate and distressing situation where their future educational and employment prospects have been irreparably damaged as a consequence of their participation in criminal activity stemming through divisions in our community, then it is vitally important that members of the Executive place at the very forefront of their agenda, a determination to formulate an agreed strategy aimed at creating a genuine shared future for the people of Northern Ireland.
In the next 15 years we must work to improve Northern Ireland both socially and economically. Social trends will continue to evolve apace akin to that witnessed over the last 15 years and Northern Ireland must ensure that it is clearly positioned to respond to such changes in society. We must endeavour to create shared space for all our communities inNorthern Irelandwhere people can feel comfortable and at ease to live and socialize in any area irrespective of their cultural or religious background.
There is no doubt that our economy faces challenges unseen for many a generation and whilst many of the determining factors hindering the future development and healing of our economy stem from various global factors, it is imperative that Northern Ireland advances itself to a position where our private sector is encouraged to flourish and more and more young people are persuaded to embrace an entrepreneurial spirit. For too long now we have been overly dependent on the reliance of public sector employment inNorthern Ireland. It is a clear fact that even this sector has and will continue to experience difficulties in the coming years given the sorry state of our public finances and as such it is not only desirable anymore but essential that we urgently develop our private sector to respond to these challenges.
It is therefore necessary for our Country to grow in confidence and maturity to ensure that we are to be taken seriously on the world stage as a place where international businesses can feel sufficiently confident and reassured to invest vast sums of money in our local economy.
Social deprivation and educational underachievement must be tackled once and for all in Northern Ireland. Too many families in our Province live below the poverty line and this in turn constrains many children and young people to a life of limited opportunities which in my view is unacceptable. The spirit of the Belfast Agreement envisaged an era where all our citizens would have equality of opportunity and as we move further forward into the 21st Century it is deplorable that any child or family should find they are restricted to a life of poverty and unable to create better lives for themselves.
Education is key to ensuring that any young person is given the best possible chance in life to achieve all that they are capable of and it distresses me greatly that educational underachievement is still prevalent inNorthern Irelandand particularly amongst young working class Protestants.
It is absolutely necessary for our Executive to invest in our children from an early age to ensure that they can escape a potential poverty trap. It is not only important for the child itself to be given the best possible start in life but also vital for the future progression and development ofNorthern Irelandthat our young people are afforded the opportunity to attain the highest skills attainment possible.
We must halt the exodus of young people leavingNorthern Irelandby making it an attractive place to live and work. Too many young people leave Northern Ireland to attend various third level educational establishments on the United Kingdom mainland in the knowledge that they will never move back home on a permanent basis.
I have personally witnessed many of my friends moving to places likeAustraliaas a consequence of their despair at the limited employment and life opportunities available to them inNorthern Ireland.
It is unfair that any young person should feel it necessary to displace themselves from their family and friends inNorthern Irelandto seek maximum employment and better life opportunities in other places across the world. This is where a challenge lies for all of us as elected representatives to ensure at both local and regional level that we work daily to ensure that we create a better life and opportunities for all our citizens.
The Ulster Unionist Party is as committed to building a better future forNorthern Irelandas we were in 1998 and today we are reaffirming that commitment we made 15 years ago.
We are committing to working to ensure that our education system provides all our children with a fair opportunity to succeed,
Guaranteeing thatNorthern Irelandis an attractive place to start a business and that our society is healthy, peaceful and prosperous.
I am an Ulster Unionist because I resolutely believe that my Party has the interests of the people ofNorthern Irelandat the very core of its vision for a better future for our beloved Province.
I want to see aNorthern Irelandwhich is proud of its identity and its people. I am proud of being fromNorthern Ireland. I am proud that I come from theUnited Kingdom. I want to see aNorthern Irelandwhich plays a positive and integral role within our cherishedUnited Kingdom.
Northern Irelandwill best prosper as part of theUnited Kingdom. TheUnionwill remain safe as long as you place your faith in the Ulster Unionist Party.
The Ulster Unionist Party will do what`s right for Northern Ireland and its people and I encourage our entire community to re-engage with us and afford us the opportunity to lead you into a prosperous and exciting era which will fulfill the potential offered to us 15 years ago.