SDLP South Belfast candidate Alasdair McDonnell said jobs and the economy should be the focus, not just of the upcoming general election, but also of Northern Ireland's entire devolved political system.

He said: "We have done peace, now we must do prosperity. We can argue about the best way to build our economy but no one can argue with the idea that this is the great challenge we face.

"We have put our ideas on the table: 30,000 'Green New Deal' jobs, enough to fill Casement Park; 12,000 new jobs that could fill Ravenhill from all-island tax harmonisation. And they are not just our ideas: they also come from economists, industry, farmers, the Sustainable Development Commission and the Economic Reform Group. It is the role of political leadership to bring together the best ideas in the form of realisable policies and that is what we are doing.

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Mr McDonnell continued: "Economic regeneration must be driven by our devolved political institutions. But it can’t be done without a strong voice at Westminster and that is why we will be there, where it counts when it counts. There is also a strong all-Ireland dimension, not only with regard to uniform corporation tax but also in realising the massive employment potential of the green economy. The SDLP is able and ready to offer political leadership at all these levels and to win broad community support on the ground for our job creation proposals.

"We will debate these ideas with anyone and if other parties decide to take up the jobs challenge we will debate their ideas too. Our politics must have a broader dimension than slicing up the block grant. The purpose of political action must be to make life better for people. We cannot achieve social objectives, we cannot abolish poverty and protect the vulnerable unless we embrace the concept and practice of wealth creation. Prosperity must be part of our Shared Future," he said.

(NS/GK)