Courtney McGrailPádraic Grant meets a politician inspired by the example of Pope Francis
The new Lord Mayor of Belfast has some grand ideas about the role she has been given as the city’s first citizen. At the age of 34, the SDLP’s Nichola Mallon is still in the early stages of her political career, and yet she has already taken on the mantle of the first female nationalist to preside over the city where such descriptions still matter a great deal.
Far from being daunted by the task ahead, Nichola enthuses about her plans, and the potential change that can flow from the office of Lord Mayor. “The beauty of the Lord Mayor’s role is that it is very much shaped by the individual. The individual brings their own priorities, experience, skills, capabilities and their own way of doing things.
“I don’t view this job as a race and I don’t think you should throw away things your predecessor did. It’s a relay, you hand on the baton and you’re running for the benefit of your city. There are things Máirtín [Ó Muilleoir, her immediate predecessor] did that I think worked wonderfully well. I’m retaining those, building on them and bringing my own priorities and focus.”
She is very clear in the way she wants to define her mayoral year, listing four priorities she intends to pursue during her tenure. “My first focus is on the citizens in our city who feel invisible at times, who feel forgotten and that no one cares for them – homeless people, for example. It’s about showing society that we could be doing more to help them. To me they’re as equal a citizen of this city as I am but I have a privileged role that I need to use to help them.
Recognition
“My second priority is the unsung heroes. There are people across Belfast who might appear to be ordinary, but are doing quietly extraordinary things; people like carers, volunteers, mentors for young people and sporting coaches. I want to use my year to give them a bit of recognition and reward.”
Another priority concerns perhaps the most important base of any modern society, economic growth. “There are wonderful things happening here – big construction works like the £29 million extension of the Waterfront or the super-connected cities scheme which will put us on a par with other cities, if not above them, in terms of our connectedness.”
The Future
One of the most important components of any economy is the people who will contribute to it in the future. Nichola intends to help young people gain the correct experience to obtain employment in the future. “How do we connect up the different public sector schemes in this city to ensure that there is continuity in terms of the skills and experience that our young people get? Maybe you could do six weeks at one project then move to another, ensuring that you get a wide range of skills and experience.”
Finally, on top of her focus on righting the negative caricatures of the city, Nichola wishes to make Belfast a more leisurable city. “My other pillar is around fun and enjoyment.
“For instance, I’m working with my colleagues to open up the gates of the City Hall. It would send a strong, visible message that the City Hall is there for its citizens. I think that, rightly, City Hall is a place for protest and that should never be taken away, but we also need to make it a place for fun.
“A successful city is one that celebrates its citizens, cares for them, has successful businesses and has a sense of civic pride. My four pillars are a way of trying to complete the circle. Too often we’re distracted by what divides us, but the wonderful thing for me is that even in the first five weeks of doing this job I’ve got to see how progressive a city it is.”
Echoing the views of her colleague Alban Maginness in this newspaper, Nichola believes that her Catholic faith has given her attributes that are well suited for politics. “I would have very strong personal faith.
“Values and principles are very important to me. Especially in a divided society like our own, people can come together and coalesce around values like social justice and fairness.
“That has motivated me to get into the job that I do, but I think that it’s made me the kind of person I am and no matter what job I was in my faith would shape what I’m doing and how I do it.”
Like many people the world over, she has taken great inspiration from the leadership of Pope Francis. “One of the first things I did when I came in here was to put up Pope Francis’ photograph in the main parlour where I receive people.
Inspiration
“I very much draw inspiration from him and I have taken a lead in what I want to focus on this year directly from the leadership he has shown and the fact that he leads by example. He is a breath of fresh air, he is a unifying individual and I think that he is wonderful.”
The weeks before and after July 12 are always a tense period in Belfast and across the wider North. One particular flashpoint is the Orange Order’s annual march on the Crumlin Road, which transverses the nationalist Ardoyne (Nichola’s home district) and the loyalist Woodvale/Twaddell.
This year’s annual march, with restrictions, passed peacefully. However, there are still simmering tensions between the Orange Order, unionist politicians and local residents’ groups opposed to what they view as triumphalist marches.
Despite this, the Lord Mayor is hopeful that, through compromise, these tensions will be overcome. “We have had very dark days in our history and we moved on from that. It won’t be easy, but it has been tried and tested all over the world and in our own history: when people sit down to talk, and they have compassion and empathy, they can come to a resolution.”
Parading
“Coming at it from a zero sum ‘I win, therefore you must lose’ approach will get you nowhere in life, and the issue of parading is no different.”
One thing Nichola has been clear about from the beginning of her tenure is that she thinks that words mean little if they are not backed up by corresponding actions, and she intends to let the citizens of Belfast judge her achievements when her term ends next year.
“People should be able to judge me on my actions and not on my words.
“I’m going to be publishing my priorities in the public domain, so it will be very clear for people to see whether I’ve met my goals at the end of my term.”