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Lord Alderdice denies criticising Alliance Party with 'bridge' remarks

Former Alliance leader John Alderdice
Former Alliance leader John Alderdice Former Alliance leader John Alderdice

A FORMER Alliance leader has denied that he was criticising the party after saying it is now less focused on being a bridge between unionists and nationalists.

In a newspaper interview, John Alderdice gave his thoughts on the Alliance Party under the leadership of East Belfast MLA Naomi Long.

"In a way I think the community is now divided three ways," he told the Belfast Telegraph.

"When I was Alliance leader, and in David Ford's day, you had the unionist side, moderate and less moderate, and then you had the nationalists, moderate and less moderate, and then you had Alliance – there very consciously as a bridge and seeing their main role as trying to help each side listen to each other and understand each other and build a society that would work for all.

"I think now that's changed and that now what Alliance mainly represent is a third element in the community – they describe themselves as progressive. They're not actually as devoted to the proposition that they are there to bring the two sides together."

However, Lord Alderdice said that "there is a case to be made that the peace process is actually over and we should recognise that and get on with building society".

"That is part of the analysis that the peace process is the previous generation's and we're about something different. I think that probably is an analysis that Naomi (Long) makes," he said.

"It does mean, though, that there is not, in the same kind of way, a political component that feels itself there to try to draw things together. And that can have disadvantages in that, frankly, no-one from outside can do it."

Following the interview's publication, Lord Alderdice yesterday insisted he "did not 'hit out' at Alliance".

"I observed that Alliance under Naomi Long had a new analysis for new times, and made clear it was a perfectly legitimate analysis for a post peace process time. Other parties need a new approach too."

In the interview, the former Stormont speaker also described the Presbyterian Church in Ireland deciding not to baptise the children of gay couples as "obnoxious".

Last month it adopted a new policy meaning those in same-sex relationships cannot be full members, take communion or have their children baptised.

Lord Alderdice, who resigned from the Church last month, said he had "been unhappy for quite a while" but recent decisions were "a Rubicon for me".