The Women's Coalition must galvanise its members and supporters for the next Assembly elections so that the electorate will subscribe to Mr Tony Blair's high estimation of the party by voting for its candidates, said party MLA Ms Jane Morrice.
Ms Morrice opened her main address to the Women's Coalition annual conference in Cultra, on Saturday by quoting the British Prime Minister's comment about the party: "The Northern Ireland Women's Coalition - decent, intelligent people - if only they had as much power as they had sense".
"Decent, intelligent people. That is who we are," said Ms Morrice. "But we are more than that. We are people who care - people who care enough to stand up and be counted. People who were disturbed, frustrated, hurt and outraged by what we saw on our streets, in our villages, in our cities and in our homes."
The Women's Coalition in its brief six-year existence proved by its cross-community background that it can work together no matter where its members came from.
"That is perhaps our greatest achievement." Ms Morrice said that there were more women in politics in Northern Ireland than there ever were before.
"Women are making inroads on to public bodies, in business and, as a voice from the people, we are finally making ourselves heard. But we still have more to do - the Policing Board, the parades board, fighting against low pay for women and much, much more."
Ms Morrice said the party must now concentrate on "getting the Assembly back up and running for the good of all the people of Northern Ireland and preparing for the most important election of our political career to date".
"We must galvanise our energy and focus on the message that we can and will change the culture of politics in Northern Ireland. Tony Blair said we need more power. But we only want that power to enable us to empower others.
"Collective effort is our success. We need to work together, double our vote, and prove, yet again, that we can keep on achieving great things together."
