Press release

Citizens of Coleraine Demand to Know, "Who Pulls the Strings?"

30 July 2012

Environmental activists braved both torrential rain and blazing sunshine on Saturday (28 July 2012) afternoon to engage with shoppers on Coleraine's Church Street, and promote their cause of political transparency.

They were working for Friends of the Earth's "Who Pulls the Strings" campaign, which is calling for an end to the secrecy surrounding large donations to Northern Ireland's political parties.  Members of the public were asked to send campaign postcards to Owen Patterson, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, asking that he extend the donor transparency enjoyed by citizens in England, Wales and Scotland to the province.

Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK or Ireland where citizens cannot find out who is funding their politicians.  Friends of the Earth believes that this is bad for public faith in democracy, and may be halting long overdue reform to planning law and environmental regulation.

Niall Bakewell, Activism Co-ordinator for Friends of the Earth, said:

"Our politicians are taking large sums of money from invisible sources, who could be making all sorts of demands in return.  We are the only citizens of these islands who are kept in the dark about where the cash is coming from, and we believe that the environment could be a bargaining chip for party finance.  Until we can shine a light on the murky world of political funding, we are not living in a normal democracy."

Mr Bakewell went on to say:

"The response we have had from people from the Coleraine area has been overwhelming.  Almost everyone who stopped to speak to us agreed with our cause, and signed our campaign postcard without hesitation.  They too want to know who is pulling the strings up in Stormont."

The environmental pressure group hopes to send thousands of sign postcards to the Northern Ireland Secretary in the autumn.

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Published by Friends of the Earth Limited