Harkin and McCloskeyannounce candidacies

People Before Profit and Aontú have announced Shaun Harkin and Dr. Anne McCloskey as the parties’ respective candidates in the forthcoming general election in Foyle.

Aontú deputy leader, Colr. Anne McCloskey was in Letterkenny last night at a public meeting in support of Mary T Sweeney, the party’s provisional candidate in Donegal in the next Dáil election.

“Over the coming weeks, Aontú will be campaigning to build support for economic justice, the right to life and Irish unity,” said Aontú, which will contest its first Westminster election next month.

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For PBPA councillor Shaun Harkin, who was confirmed as the party’s candidate in Foyle at the weekend, it is his second general election outing in Foyle.

Following his selection Colr. Harkin said: “The Tories have ruled the roost for the last decade with contempt for ordinary people.

“The DUP shamefully propped them up to continue the attack on public services, welfare, workers rights, the environment and threaten a hard border.

“Boris Johnson embodies Westminster’s failed democracy and the elitism of the rich and powerful. He needs to go. We want to bring Tory/DUP rule to an end for good.”

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He urged people to return him as MP to vote against the Conservatives at Westminster.

“People Before Profit can be trusted to vote to scrap welfare reform, undo anti-trade union laws, reverse privatisation of public services and resist any attempt to reimpose a hard border here.

“We’ll vote to increase taxes on billionaires. We’ll vote to stop corporations from polluting the planet.”

Councillors Harkin and McCloskey join the sitting MP Elisha McCallion of Sinn Féin and the SDLP leader Colum Eastwood among the declared candidates in Derry.

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Both candidates were elected to Derry City and Strabane District Council following impressive performances in May.

Colr. Harkin won 13.28 per cent of the first preference vote in the Foyleside District Electoral Area (DEA); Colr. McCloskey received 10.78 per cent in Ballyarnett.

Meanwhile, in the neighbouring constituency of East Derry the sitting DUP MP Gregory Campbell who won a large majority in the 2017 general election claimed next month’s poll was a chance for electors to send a “powerful message” to Westminster.

“The Brexit issue has be resolved satisfactorily here in Northern Ireland and throughout the UK as a whole.

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“The other important issues such as growing the economy, protecting the NHS and improving the education service are best resolved at Stormont, but if Sinn Féin persist with their boycott in both Belfast and London then Westminster will have to step up it’s role in providing leadership in these and other matters.

“Only a strong persistent voice from my colleagues and myself will provide that. No other Party has delivered hundreds of millions in extra spending power in the past two years, no one else is as well placed to continue delivery into the future,” said Mr. Campbell.