For Northern Ireland the Westminster election on June 8th is not about leaving the European Union nor is it a re-run of the referendum.
It is an opportunity to pass judgement on the main parties at Stormont and their failure to form an Executive nearly two months after being elected.
Without doubt the major parties will seek to turn this election into another sectarian headcount. Solutions, initiatives and progress will once again be sacrificed for tribalism and division. But sectarian head counts can only happen with the support of the electorate.
This society is more divided now than it was twenty years ago. There has been absolutely no progress towards forging a single united community of working people
There are more than 100,000 children living in poverty. Average wages are lower than ten years ago. We have the second highest level of workless households of all regions in the UK and at least 15,000 people in Northern Ireland are officially homeless.
There is a crisis in education, health and social care. There are cutbacks to social welfare. Funding to culture, the arts and youth services have been very significantly reduced.
In every aspect of social, economic, cultural and community life working class people have been subjected to public expenditure cuts, marginalisation and exclusion.
It is little wonder that the parties responsible want to divert attention by trading on tribal fears.
Working people and their families never benefit from division or nationalism of whatever colour. Working people need a Workers Party – committed to uniting workers to defend their own interests. This election is an opportunity to affirm that at the ballot box.