Harding aims to bring more people into politics

David Harding said that Labour’s commitment to Northern Ireland as part of the Union may have been open to question at times, but the Conservatives’ commitment was unequivocal.

He also said the attempts to change the education system in Northern Ireland had not addressed the problems facing young people.

On the potential difference between Labour and the Tories’ attitude to Northern Ireland, Mr Harding said: “The DUP hope to be able to influence at the extremities in a hung parliament but we will have a central role. In our ties with the Conservatives, we are involved in national politics, and the Conservatives have made a commitment, there is no equivocation - Ulster is British.”

Mr Harding, who says he enjoys door to door canvassing, said he had agreed to take part in a debate at a local Catholic school next week, alonsgide other candidates, adding that he believes it is important to take his political message to as many young people as possible.

He added: “I’m not into politics just to get elected. There’s a group of people under 35, and it’s hard to get them to vote. Then you look at some politicians and they are grey people and people at school don’t feel a connection.

“For me, it’s more a matter of getting people involved in politics.”

Mr Harding said hospitals were disappearing and schools closing, adding that he thought a mess had been made of attempts to reform the selection system in schools.

He said of Northern Ireland’s education system in general: “I believe people of similar academic ability should be taught together. The problem is in the primary schools. There are a number of young Protestant children coming from primary schools with no reading or writing skills. The deficit is in the home background where parents maybe didn’t have opportunities themselves. That’s where the effort needs to go, into helping the parents not just the pupils. The parents have the intelligence but not the ability.

“When I came here (from Scotland) there was a real celebration of education. You get the impression everyone does well in Northern Ireland but it’s at the bottom end where the money should be spent.

“We do need to look at the overall education system but you can’t impose it, not because you have a Marxist doctrine by which you punish achievement.”