The SDLP candidate for the upcoming General Election has said Tom Elliott (UUP) and current sitting MP Michelle Gildernew of Sinn Féin have “been about for long enough” and it is now time for something fresh.

With two weeks until the election on December 12, Councillor Adam Gannon wants the people in Fermanagh and South Tyrone to move away from Mrs. Gildernew and Mr. Elliott, who have held the seat between them since 2001.

“We have being going backwards,” explained Adam.

“We need something better and something new and that’s what I want to provide and hopefully people could vote for that.”

It’s been a quick rise for Adam, as only in May he was elected for the first time to Fermanagh and Omagh District Council. But now he has his sights set on a Westminster seat.

“The six months have been great. I have thoroughly enjoyed the Council role and getting out and speaking to people and helping people and solving problems.

“I find there are a lot of issues and things come up that people want me to resolve that are already the remit of Stormont and Westminster and because nobody is actually representing us people are coming to me about those bigger issues, like the health service, long before this election.

“Its been very interesting I have enjoyed the step up it’s a totally different environment and more into the kind of bigger issues like economy and those are issues I am more than comfortable dealing with so I have enjoyed it and have relished it so far.”

The SDLP, who oppose Brexit, have received some criticism in certain quarters about standing in this constituency as some feel it plays into the hands of Mr. Elliott who campaigned for the UK to leave the European Union.

In North Belfast, North Down and East Belfast, the party will not contest the seats leaving the best possibility of a Remain MP being returned. Many thought this might have been the case in Fermanagh South Tyrone which is set to be one of the tightest constituencies.

However, Adam believes there are enough voters in the area to return a Remain MP, pointing out there was almost a two thirds majority in the constituency in 2016.

“There is more than enough room for multiple Remain candidates to perform strongly and perform well and to still have one of them come across the line.”

He says there is frustration on the doorsteps around the lack of representation in Stormont and Westminster and that as well as Brexit, issues surrounding the health service and education are to the fore when speaking to people.

“The health service is the big one. The massive queues, 300,000 people in waiting lists. Everyone knows someone who is on a waiting list and there many of them waiting lists being the guts of five years. Everyone is impacted by it.

“Education is a big one people are concerned about that and the lack of funding that is going in and final kind of issues that I’ve had discussed is people want to move away from this orange and green and they are not happy that there’s people going out on doors and canvassing and saying this is between Unionists and Nationalists and trying to stir the pot so to speak.”

Adam says it is time to move away from all that and December 12 is the perfect time to do so.

“Vote for what you believe in and go out and vote for a positive message. There’s no benefit to us to playing an us and them argument.

“That’s what other people are putting forward, it is a fight between Unionism and Nationalism. That’s not beneficial to the community here. Vote for someone who is a new face and a new voice and actually wants to work for the people and actually wants to see this place get better in the future.”

In the last two General Elections SDLP candidates polled less than 3,000 votes, current MP Mrs. Gildernew polled over 25,000. But Adam is staying optimistic of his chances of overturning such a huge difference but it is all down to the voters.

“It’s quite a substantial amount but I never say never. Nothing is impossible. Sometimes outsiders do very well. That’s what I intend to do and do my best to deliver it.

“People are just fed up and people do want to vote for something different. It is whether they will do that. I know I have had a positive response, I’m sure everyone has said that.

“It is just a case of whether people will act on that or not.”