Jonny McCarthy, councillor on Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council has resigned from NI21 as of this morning.
Cllr McCarthy, also deputy leader of the party for just over a year, announced on his facebook page this morning that he was leaving NI21 as he feels he “could do the job better (if) independent of the party.”
With party leader Basil McCrea now remaining as the only elected official within the party following a series of high profile party departures, John McCallister MLA and Tina McKenzie, the future of the party going into the 2016 elections will be under increased scrutiny – two thirds of all elected members NI21 members have decided that life as an independent is preferable. Cllr McCarthy is the only party member to have been elected under the NI21 party banner.
McCarthy said the following,
Serious post for once.
After a long period of consideration I have decided to leave NI21.
I feel I can work better outside of the party.
Some people may wonder why I have stayed as long as I did and it is because I fully believed in the idea of NI21 and the need for a party that is non-sectarian and promotes the use of EVIDENCE to create policy and not ideology.
I do regret having to come to this decision but it is the right thing for me to do.
Now has anyone got the DUP’s number?
Kris tweets ferociously as @belfastbarman and runs an associated site, www.belfastbarman.com where he occasionally opines his views. He lived abroad for a while and as such, feels he will never really ‘get’ this place. Formerly a barman, he regularly broke the cardinal rules of, “No politics or religion in the pub,” as such, he turned to writing. Previously a stand up comedian and an animal crematorium assistant, now works in marketing and is a recently joined member of the Alliance Party.
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