Senior loyalist to contest north Belfast vote

A prominent member of the loyalist Ulster Political Research Group has announced his candidacy in north Belfast for the Assembly…

A prominent member of the loyalist Ulster Political Research Group has announced his candidacy in north Belfast for the Assembly elections.

Campaign workers for Mr Frank McCoubrey are erecting around 3,000 posters across the constituency as the loyalist councillor promised one of the biggest electoral pushes north Belfast has ever seen.

Mr McCoubrey, who is running as an independent, said he was not standing as a UPRG candidate as it was not a political party.

"As someone who lives in the constituency and who has been on the ground dealing with issues affecting north Belfast, we believe that this seat is there for the taking," he said. "People are going to see a campaign unlike any other before in the constituency aimed at providing a voice at Stormont for the loyalist community."

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"We will be fighting this election on the bread and butter issues about how to tackle unemployment, improve education, better the quality of life for senior citizens, provide better services and facilities for our young and how to tackle anti-social behaviour.

"I and my colleagues have for a long time been calling for a review of the Good Friday Agreement," Mr McCoubrey added. "If that happens we will be calling for the Agreement to be made more relevant to the working class loyalist community because there is no doubt that that community believes that the Agreement is designed to suit republicanism and disadvantages loyalists."

There are currently four unionist seats and two nationalist seats at Stormont in North Belfast.The Democratic Unionists, Sinn Féin, The nationalists, SDLP, the Ulster Unionists, the Progressive Unionists and the United Unionists all have defending seats.

PA