Jim Nicholson MEP and UUP representative

In May 1998 the people of Northern Ireland overwhelmingly endorsed the Belfast Agreement. Also, almost 170,000 people who hadn't voted for years went to the polls to vote for an Agreement which they hoped would allow NI to move forward. They wanted change and they voted for change.

But I don't think they voted for what we have now: Sinn Fein and the DUP locked in a mutually antagonistic political stalemate in which Northern Ireland remains divided into 'us-and-them' camps and elections are still sectarian headcounts. That's not change. That's just the same-old, same-old dressed up as progress.

I believe that there are hundreds of thousands of you who want something better than that---who want political structures and electoral choices which reflect your views and concerns on a whole range of national, European and international issues. I believe that you want a political horizon which expands beyond 'little-Ulster' parameters and 'little-Ulster' thinking.

The Ulster Unionist Party and the Conservative Party, standing together as 'Conservatives and Unionists', are offering you those new political and electoral choices and we will ensure that your voices and your views will be heard and represented at the very heart of UK politics. Northern Ireland need no longer be a place apart within the United Kingdom.

We are offering you the change you voted for in 1998. We are offering you a real reason to vote on June 4.

So if you believe in change and if you want change---then vote for change on June 4 by voting for me.

The Ulster Unionist Party and the Conservative Party have joined forces to create a new, dynamic partnership that will put Northern Ireland back at the heart of British politics. What we are offering is an opportunity for people in Northern Ireland to have real input and real influence into the national debate.

Vote for Change has been the theme of my campaign. Change in Brussels. Change in Westminster and real change in Northern Ireland.

With over 20 years experience as an MEP, I know exactly the type of change required in Europe - change to put an end to the Federalists agenda for a European Super State.

No other candidate in the election can offer what I can. Others may talk, but only I can deliver. I will be a full member of a strong, powerful and influential group of Conservative MEPs in the European Parliament.

With the full force of this, a future Conservative Government and the UUP behind me, I will continue to provide strong and effective representation for all the people of Northern Ireland in Europe promoting the interests of our farmers, fishermen, businesses and rural and urban communities.

Change isn't just built on newness and slogans. The best change is built on the lessons learned from past experience coupled with an exciting new vision and agenda for the future. That is what the 'Conservatives and Unionists' are offering, under David Cameron and Sir Reg Empey. That is what I am offering---an MEP in the European Parliament speaking up for Northern Ireland and with the full force of a national UK party behind me.

For far too long Northern Ireland's voters have been semi-detached in terms of input and influence, having little or no impact on Westminster or European politics because their representatives have belonged to small regional parties rather than to strong national parties.

But I have worked very closely with Conservative MEPs for a number of years and I have seen, at first hand, the crucial extra influence that comes from that sort of relationship. I am proud to be the first candidate jointly endorsed by the Ulster Unionist Party and the Conservative Party and proud to be able to offer a new choice and a new voice for Northern Ireland's electorate.

There are major challenges ahead for both NI and the entire United Kingdom over the coming years. The present Labour government has decimated our economy and seeks to blame everyone else. There are elements within the European Union who seek to impose a new constitution upon us.

Yet a substantial swathe of the electorate here has opted out of voting and opted out of active politics. Many of them probably thought that their vote was wasted because its impact didn't extend further than their own constituency. 'Conservatives and Unionists' offer them the opportunity to make a real impact in Brussels and Westminster: the opportunity to ensure that their voice is both heard and heeded where it matters.

Change isn't just built on newness and slogans. The best change is built on the lessons learned from past experience, allied to an exciting new vision and agenda for the future. That is what the 'Conservatives and Unionists' are offering. That is what I am offering---an MEP in the European Parliament speaking up for Northern Ireland and with the full force of a national UK party behind him. That's real change!

In the last few days I have been repeatedly asked if it really matters who tops the poll in this election.

The DUP claim that a vote for them will stop Sinn Fein from topping the poll. Well, a vote for me as the 'Conservatives and Unionists' candidate could also stop Sinn Fein topping the poll!

So you shouldn't be scared into voting for the DUP. Is this the only reason they are giving you to vote for them - to stop Sinn Fein from topping the poll? Why such a sudden concern in beating Sinn Fein now? They concluded the St Andrews Agreement with Sinn Fein and co-govern with five Sinn Fein ministers.

Anyway, don't voters deserve more than one reason to vote for a party? Shouldn't each party say what it can offer rather than what it can stop, or attempt to stop another party from doing?

Voting for Conservative and Unionists is a vote for deepening and widening the Union. It is a vote for pan UK unionism. It's a vote for a broader horizon than the "little Ulster" carve-up Sinn Fein/ DUP. It's a vote for rebuilding the links and forging new, stronger bonds. It's a vote for input and influence into national and EU politics.

It's a vote for changing how unionists do things and how we see ourselves. A vote for Sinn Fein or DUP is a vote for stalemate and same-old, same-old politics.

Yes, I would be delighted to top the poll, but I want to top it for the right reasons. I want to top it for the Union, for Northern Ireland and for the geographical and political integrity of the United Kingdom.

The Ulster Unionist Party and Conservative Party---standing together as 'Conservatives and Unionists'---are asking you to vote for change on June 4. We want to elect an MEP now, and MPs later, who will take the 'whip' of a national UK party; who will have a direct input into policy; whose presence will ensure thatyour voice and views are heard and heeded at the very heart of UK politics.

No other candidate or political vehicle in Northern Ireland can offer that prospect.

For far too long Northern Ireland parties have been just that---Northern Ireland parties: Mere lobby groups knocking on the door of Number 10. But this new relationship between the UUP and Conservatives means that we are now an integral part of a national party, promoting pan-UK unionism; and that means that we can move from the role of lobbyists to the role of policy makers.

The Union is a two-way process and one of the best ways of strengthening it is for Northern Ireland voices to be heard in government and for Northern Ireland MPs to have a direct role in creating socio-economic policies for Northern Ireland. Again, no other candidate or political vehicle can offer that prospect.

But change doesn't flow from hope alone. Change must be voted for. If you believe in the political and electoral change being offered by 'Conservatives and Unionists' then I would ask you to go to a polling station on June 4 and vote for that change.

Because I have been an MEP since 1989 some people have asked how I can credibly claim to be "the candidate for change."

Well, change isn't just about newness or novelty. The change I'm offering is a change built upon experience, lessons learned and having an agenda and vision for the future.

I know that Northern Ireland's interests will be best served by having the full force of a national party promoting them---both in Westminster and the European Parliament. I know, too, that real political influence comes through group strength, rather than from being a solo voice. Northern Ireland has changed since 1998. It is continuing to change. It needs effective and influential representation to ensure that the political and economic demands of this change are delivered.

I also believe in deepening and widening the Union. The keystone of the change I'm offering lies in the rebuilding of the links with the Conservative Party and the embedding of Ulster Unionism at the very core of UK politics.

It isn't just enough for Northern Ireland to have a relationship with the rest of the UK based on the 'constitutional guarantee' alone. We need to play a real and active part in pan-UK politics. People here need to know that their vote will have an impact on national and European decisions.

This new partnership of 'Conservatives and Unionists' allows the electorate here to play their part on a wider stage and have an impact where it really matters.

Now, that's real change!

At the beginning of this campaign people asked me what I meant by the word 'change'. Well, after the visit by David Cameron last week and the launch of our manifesto by William Hague on Monday, people are beginning to understand what I mean.

The next Prime Minister of the United Kingdom is campaigning alongside the Ulster Unionist Party. The next Foreign Secretary of the United Kingdom is campaigning alongside the Ulster Unionist Party. The Conservative Party and the UUP have created a new political and electoral force which spans the entire United Kingdom. Leading members of the Conservative Party are coming here to confirm the fact that they are committed to the Union, to Northern Ireland and to the political and constitutional integrity of the United Kingdom.

That is real change!

Last Thursday David Cameron said that he would legislate against double-jobbing if the parties here didn't voluntarily agree to end it. A few hours later Peter Robinson announced that the DUP would end double-jobbing---even though the DUP (along with Sinn Fein) had voted in favour of retaining double-jobbing during an Assembly debate on March 10.

If a newspaper article by the Leader of the Opposition can force that sort of panic-mode U-turn from the DUP, imagine the sort of influence that Prime Minister David Cameron can have on Northern Ireland politics!

Imagine it. Think about it. Change is coming. And it will be a change for the better for unionism and the Union.