Independent candidate takes aim at parties over Sperrins mining

AN independent candidate standing for one of the five Assembly seats in Mid Ulster has put mining in the Sperrins at the top of his agenda.

Patrick Haughey has blamed the established political parties in the North for opening up the exploration of the mountains and said he was standing as a custodian of the land.

“I am Patrick Haughey, husband and father of three children, a family man, living in Creggan, Tyrone, in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty(AONB),” says the candidate in his online profile.

“I am also a part time farmer, farming my late mother’s farm adjacent to Beaghmore Stone Circles in the Mid Ulster constituency.

“In November 2017 a Canadian exploration and prospecting company, Dalradian Gold Ltd… submitted the biggest planning application in Ireland, 10,000 pages, to operate a gold mine and the largest cyanide
gold processing plant in Western Europe.

“Having undertaken considerable research it was clear this was the catalyst project to a much larger precious metals and minerals agenda.”

Mr Haughey also believes that mining could lead to “the storage of all the UK’s higher activity radioactive nuclear waste in Northern Ireland by 2040”.

He said the main parties have been using green and orange politics “to keep us divided and distracted from the politically orientated and planned corporate destruction of our land, natural resources, environment and health”.

He added, “The Green and Orange politics must stop to prevent the planned destruction of our lands, our environment and our health. Our children’s future is at stake.

“As a custodian of the land I am standing in this election to create awareness and to: Oppose the storage of Higher Activity Radioactive (Nuclear) Waste in NI; Oppose the planned precious metals and minerals agenda; Stop the planned decimation of our farming industry; Lead the fight against corporate greed; Unite against racism; Bring communities together for a better future.”