Trimble to launch election manifesto

Ulster Unionist leader David Trimble was today preparing to set out his party’s vision for devolution in Northern Ireland over the next five years.

The Upper Bann MP was due to launch his party’s 16-page Assembly election manifesto with just two weeks to go before polling day.

The manifesto was expected to focus on the party’s 10 pledges on the peace process and five promises for the next Assembly.

The Ulster Unionists are fielding 43 candidates in Northern Ireland’s 18 constituencies.

Party strategists are hoping that dissident members who have been engaged in a bitter feud with the leadership will be able to rally behind the manifesto.

Among those standing, who have been in conflict in leadership, are rebel MPs David Burnside and Jeffrey Donaldson who resigned the Party whip at Westminster in June.

The Ulster Unionist manifesto launch followed hard on the rival Democratic Unionist manifesto which was launched by their leader the Reverend Iain Paisley.

As parties in Northern Ireland continued to chase votes ahead of November 26, the nationalist SDLP was expected to focus on the issue of policing.

Party chairman Alex Attwood and former Stormont Deputy First Minister Seamus Mallon were due to highlight the work undertaken by party members on the Northern Ireland Policing Board and District Policing Partnership.

The SDLP became the first nationalist Party two years ago to endorse the police service and participate in its structures.

Sinn Féin, however has refused to take part on policing authorities or endorse the new police service because it claimed reforms fall short of nationalist and republican expectations.