Michael Copeland steps down from the Assembly

More change in the Assembly as the Irish News political correspondent, John Manley reports that the UUPs East Belfast MLA, Michael Copeland has resigned his post effective 31st August. Speaking about the decision the Unionist leader, Mike Nesbitt says; As an elected representative Michael was good for us and good for me because he valued compassion above all else and relentlessly championed policies which put the rights and needs of people first, particularly the vulnerable I would imagine that local …

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LGBT issues: Northern Ireland party views – UPDATED

(Updated to include responses from the Ulster Unionist Party and People Before Profit) Research conducted by Ruth McCarthy highlights some stark differences between the parties contesting this years Westminster elections in Northern Ireland on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) issues. A series of questions were asked: 1a Does your party visibly support LGBTQ equality issues in your party manifesto, on your website and in election campaigning materials? If YES, please give examples. If NO, please state why. 1b Please give …

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Same sex marriage? No thanks we’re British

As of January 1st 2015 Northern Ireland is the only part of the United Kingdom where same sex marriage remains illegal. A new law on gay marriage came into effect in Scotland in December 2014 and the first same sex weddings were held at 00:01 on Hogmanay. A total of 250 couples have converted their civil partnerships to marriage since the new law – the Marriage and Civil Partnership (Scotland) Bill – came into effect on 16 December. Same-sex marriage …

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#onthehill The middle letter in M L A is Legislative

Before the plenary session on Tuesday, two charities had arranged photo opportunities with MLAs to promote campaigns – one disability-related, the other fuel poverty. The UUP’s Michael Copeland was well prepared with his furry hat for the outside snaps. Speaking to @MCopelandMLA this morning: "it strikes me as a piece of drama" (mp3) He spoke to me about his long working hours and the volume of constituency work. People say we [MLAs] need to be at a certain higher strategic …

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