Proportionality - Equality for Belfast nationalists
By Dan O'Neill
Throughout the history of Belfast City Council, unionists have
discriminated against nationalists, whether it be through the lack of
funds allocated to nationalist areas or attacks on the Irish culture
and language. Unionist domination of the institutions of City Hall
has been achieved through their control of the committees and
sub-committees that determine policy and allocate funding.
Sinn Fein currently has the biggest electoral mandate in Belfast,
with 27.6% of the vote and jointly with the UUP is the largest party
in City Hall with 13 seats, yet they are denied senior posts.
The chairmanships and vice-chairmanships of committees and
sub-committees have been divided up in backroom cross-party deals to
the exclusion of Sinn Fein.
However, the days of this form of undemocratic practice are over
after the council voted on 1 March for a historic power sharing
scheme. Power will be shared in line with party strength under the
d'Hondt system of proportionality, as used in the Assembly.
Introduced against unionist opposition, the new system will see an
increase in nationalist and in particular Sinn Fein's share of senior
posts on the council committees and sub-committees.
At present Sinn Fein are grossly under represented, holding only two
chairs in the Housing Liaison (Bobby Lavery) and Cultural Diversity
(Sean Hayes) committees, and three vice-chairs, in the Arts
sub-committee (Tom Hartley), Community and Leisure sub-committee
(Gerard O'Neill) and Contract and Services (Marie Moore). A total of
five.
Thus with 25.49% of seats Sinn Fein have only secured 13.9% of the
total chairs. Yet the UUP with the same seats in the council as Sinn
Fein hold eight chairs and five vice-chairs, 36.1% of total chairs.
While the DUP and Alliance Party are also over represented. The DUP
with seven councillors hold 16.7% of the total chairs and the
Alliance with one seat less hold 11.1% of the senior posts. The SDLP,
despite the same number of seats as the DUP hold only 8.3% of total
chairs.
Nationalists with almost 40% of the seats on Belfast City Council
hold only 22.2% of the total chairs.
But these figures do not give a clear indication of the true extent
of discrimination against nationalists in the allocation of posts. In
January 1998, 93% of chairs on Belfast City Council were held by
unionists and 87% of all vice chairs were occupied by the unionist
parties.
Recent improvements for nationalist parties have only come about
through the meteoric rise in the Sinn Fein vote ever since Alex
Maskey became the first Sinn Fein representative elected to the
council in 1983.
The May 1997 local government election, with massive Sinn Fein
gains, was the beginning of the end for the unionist domination in
Belfast City Council.
This historic victory for Belfast nationalists now means that the
total of 36 chairpersonships and vice-chairpersonships are to be
split into two groups and divided equally according to party strength
with the posts rotating so that no one party can hold the same post
consecutively.
d Sinn Fein will expect to chair five committees and another five
vice-chairs thus doubling their present figures. The UUP will lose
three chair positions, the DUP one and the Alliance Party will remain
the same. The SDLP will gain two posts.
Sinn Fein has been central in the fight to have a system of
proportionality used at City Hall.
Lower Falls councillor Tom Hartley last year took Belfast City
council to court to highlight discrimination against nationalists in
the council and argue for a system of proportionality. Despite
agreement from the judge that the present system was unfair he ruled
that he had no powers to change the legislation, and only Lord Dubs,
minister for Local Government could do so.
However, this brought the issue of proportionality to the fore in the
council and the Sinn Fein group on Belfast City Council subsequently
pushed the proposal for proportionality through the various stages in
the council.
A report on the d'Hondt system as a standing order will now be given
to the Policy and Resources Committee this week and then it will go
to the next full council meeting on 1 April for ratification. After
this, the new system will be used for the third term of the present
council which begins in June.
Tom Hartley explains that the aim of introducing the new system was
to ensure ``fairness'' for all parties on the council.
``Through the efforts of Sinn Fein to have proportionality there is
now a fairer system of representation on committees and
sub-committees. All parties will gain through this.''
``The achievement of proportionality represents a step forward for the
nationalists of Belfast. Sinn Fein has consistently highlighted the
issue over the years. This issue lies at the very heart of local
government. It is about the ability of local councillors to represent
their constituents.''
Undoubtedly, Sinn Fein has played a significant part in changing
Belfast City Council from one motivated by bigotry, sectarianism and
domination, ruled by Unionists into a more legitimate and fair
political forum. Before Sinn Fein went into City Hall, many
nationalists accepted playing second-fiddle to unionists but the
election of Alex Maskey in 1983 heralded the arrival of assertive
nationalist representation.
Since 1983 Sinn Fein has gone from being the smallest party in
council to the largest after the May 1997 local government elections,
and have won many significant victories along the way. The
achievement of proportionality, however, is the single most
significant victory for nationalists in the history of Belfast City
Council.
The Sinn Fein victory in Belfast has also encouraged their
counterparts in Lisburn council.
Sinn Fein councillor Paul Butler is set to follow Hartley's example
by taking Lisburn Council to court to highlight similar
discrimination against Sinn Fein, using the precedent set in Belfast.
Despite being the second largest party in Lisburn with four
councillors, Sinn Fein have been denied any chairs or vice-chairs
while the DUP, with only two seats, chair a committee and have a post
in the Strategic Policy Committee
As Tom Hartley explained the hard work in Belfast City Council is not
over yet, ``there is still bad practice in relation to the selection
of the Lord Mayor. Republicans expect that as the largest party on
Belfast City Council they have a right to occupy this position.
Hopefully it won't be too long before we see a Sinn Fein Lord Mayor
in Belfast.''
Already Sinn Fein group have selected Alex Maskey as their nominee
for the post. Alex Maskey as Lord Mayor of Belfast, another major
victory for Sinn Fein.
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