Shaun Harkin to run in Foyle for People Before Profit

The Derry City and Strabane District Councilor said he was honoured to have been selected to represent People Before Profit in May.

"There's a massive desire for fundamental change right across society. People want more real equality and less of the divisive dead end of communal politics that the Stormont political establishment gets top marks on.

"The last number of years have been very hard right. They might not like to hear it but the Stormont Executive, instead of protecting people from Tory policies, imitated them. It's been one rule for them and another for the rest of us. Elites have been taken care of while the vulnerable, workers and students have been ignored," he said.

Colr. Harkin was elected to represent the Foyleside District Electoral Area (DEA) on DC&SDC in the local government elections in 2019. He ran unsuccessfully for People Before Profit in Foyle in Westminster elections in 2017 and 2019.

Following his selection he accused the Stormont Executive of 'botching its pandemic response' and compared it to the Conservative government in London.

"Instead of supporting progressive demands, the Executive has consistently blocked them and enforced the reactionary status quo. This is the case when it comes to the right to choose, real pay rises for workers, climate action, racial equality and addressing the spiraling housing crisis," he claimed.

"Promises to address structural inequality in Derry and the North West continue to be broken. It's shameful that 30% of people in Derry struggle below the poverty line. We have the largest number of people on the housing waiting list.

"The commitment to expand Magee to 10,000 students has once again been ripped up. Executive parties wave around their newfound environmental credentials but they couldn't even deliver the Derry-Coleraine rail upgrade or start the clean-up of the toxic Mobuoy dump. All this is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the failure to deliver for people here," he said.