It’s time for genuine grassroots democracy. For too long the traditional political parties have made the rules to suit their own agenda of division, at the expense of the people of Northern Ireland. It’s time to move to a citizens’ assembly model of democracy.

The Green Party NI will continue to lead by example on transparency by voluntarily publishing all donations we receive above £500. We have nothing to hide. We’re not funded by big business or corporate interests. It’s time that other political parties were as open as us.

The Green Party will:

• Continue to push for the UK Government to lower the legal voting age to 16.
• Deliver reforms and implement a strategy to achieve substantive gender balance in politics and public life.
• Ensure greater support and safeguards for women from abuse, threats and harassment in public office, including seeking action from social media providers and effective and responsive policing.
• Call on the UK Government to immediately publish information about all political party donations exceeding £7,500 received between 2011 and 2017, and lower the threshold so that all future donations over £500 are published.
• Remove community designation in the Assembly.
• Introduce a legal duty to co-operate that requires government departments and bodies to work together on cross-departmental issues and that reduces silos.
• Fully implement the outstanding recommendations from the RHI Inquiry report.
• Increase the powers of the Assembly Commissioner for Standards to investigate alleged breaches of the Ministerial Code of Conduct and report the outcome of any investigation and recommendations to the Assembly and the public.