Debate contribution: Appointment of the First Minister and deputy First Minister
Debate contribution by Mrs Naomi Long on .
- MLA
- Mrs Naomi Long
- Party at the time
- Alliance Party
- Date
- 3 February 2024
- Type
- Debate contribution (made as a minister)
- Business
- Assembly Business
- Heading
- Appointment of the First Minister and deputy First Minister
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 4255119
Read the official Assembly record
Text
Thank you, Mr Speaker. It has taken two years, and, at times, it has seemed like a vain hope that we would reach this point, but it is a good day for Northern Ireland that we stand here today, with you in the Chair and with a First Minister and deputy First Minister confirmed in office. First, I congratulate you on your election as Speaker. We supported you in the Lobby, and we will, no doubt on occasion, challenge you in the Chamber, but we look forward to working with you, and you have our respect and cooperation as we move forward. I also extend my congratulations to the First Minister and deputy First Minister — Michelle and Emma. It is a huge burden to lead the Executive, particularly in the challenging times in which we find ourselves, but I have no doubt whatsoever that they will be up to that task. There are many pressing issues ahead for that Executive to tackle, none more fundamental than negotiating a proper funding formula with His Majesty's Treasury in order to place our public finances on a sustainable footing. Other pressing issues are addressing public-sector pay as a matter of urgency; delivering health transformation and stabilisation; tackling education funding and reform, with particular provision for those with additional needs; delivering justice and security and peace of mind to our constituents; and supporting a dynamic and thriving economy. Those are essential elements of building that more shared, equitable, prosperous and peaceful society to which Alliance has always been committed. As I drove up the path this morning, I saw young families make their way to the playgrounds. It reminded me of the childcare pressures that many of those young parents face. It would be remiss of me not to mention that that must also be a priority for an incoming Executive. We desire to see a united community, one in which we can embrace our diversity, not deny it. We want to embrace and celebrate it with confidence and in security. Although our focus today is, rightly, on the future, we must also reflect on the damage that has been caused by the instability of our institutions over the last number of years. Stop-start government has played a major role in deepening the crises in our public services' finances and across society. Alliance will continue to pursue sensible reform of our institutions in order to ensure that no single party can ever hold our institutions to ransom again. The institutions are not the property or plaything of any of us in the House. They belong to the people who elected us. I am determined to work to ensure that the Executive and Assembly are not just stable but effective and that they deliver positive change for those people. I believe that we do that best when we do it together, and I look forward to making real progress in this mandate.
488 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Assessment
Jev’s structured answers met the documented threshold for “not flagged”.
- Overall probability that the activity is being used to promote, exploit or escalate an identity-based controversy: 0.03 (flagging needs at least 0.70; at or below 0.30 is not flagged).
- None of the five culture-war criteria was met (each was below 0.60).
- No identity-based framing was identified (0.92).
- Subject area: Sectarianism, hate crime and community relations.
- The overall probability was at or below the not-flagging threshold.
This is an AI-generated assessment of the text, made against published criteria. It is not a finding of fact about the MLA or their intentions. The Assembly record itself is the fact.
Jev’s structured answers
| Question | Probability | Met? |
|---|---|---|
| Identity framing | 0.05 | No |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.02 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.03 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.02 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.03 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.54 | No |
| Overall judgement | 0.03 | At or below not-flagging threshold |
| Option | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-based framing (chosen) | 0.92 |
| Reports or questions it | 0.00 |
| Criticises or condemns it | 0.08 |
| Adopts it | 0.00 |
| Subject | Probability |
|---|---|
| Sectarianism, hate crime and community relations | 0.58 |
| No identity-related subject | 0.21 |
| Disability (including neurodivergence and mental health), disabled people and disability or sickness benefits | 0.13 |
| Another identity-related subject | 0.03 |
| Legacy of the Troubles, victims and paramilitarism | 0.02 |
Assessed 21 October 2026 at 09:33 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
Disagree with this assessment?
Classifications can be challenged. A person reads every challenge, and any change is recorded publicly above with its reason.