They need to connect to voters by being relevant, they’re not really a Catholic party, they can’t out-SF @ being the cordite article.

Catholicism is no more down on its luck than orthodox (IRB or 1916 style) republicanism.

The market is there, and has more activists than SF will ever have. It is not a question of it being a Vatican outreach project,

it is a question, of taking ‘a core vote’ and going forward.

At this point SF will lose more to apathy than the SDLP will gain by attracting youngsters, so the ‘older’ vote is worth having.

Gregory

I found your comments very heartening. Hopefully some day nationalists and unionists alike will join together and vote for socialism, throwing off the identities that for so long have divided us.

I wss pleased that Mark Durkin and Alban Magenniss were able to say the name Northern Ireland when they were speaking and were not struck down by a bolt of lightening. Good on them.

I have never been a big fan of the before and have never given them a vote in 30 years of voting but might consider marking them somewhere on my ballot sheet in the european elections. If I was a nationlist I would vote for them at every election as they are moderate socialists. It a shame us unionists don’t have a party of moderate socialists to vote for instead of the right wing parties we seem to breed.

Well fair enough Conall. I am decidely not a politician so I make no claims to total truth or instant wisdom. In fact I’ll say something rarely spoken by any NI politician:-’I could be wrong.’

Maybe I met different people… or the same people under different circumstances. Perhaps you might allow for that, eh?

‘I enjoyed a capacity crowd and a very energetic debate’

Good. The energy and enjoyment arising from a good debate is heady stuff. But was that debate strictly with the choir or also with the street?

There is no need to be defensive here cos I am not out to get you or the party…

but you should be out to get me. Rhetorically like.

Good luck and happy hunting.

The people I met do not fit the description of our first commentator.

Have blogged on the conference over on O’Conall St. http://www.oconallstreet.com

egomaniac

How so?

Are you not in agreement with the assertion that an egomaniac tends to use violence to assert himself?

Are you not in danger of defining a strong personality as something negative?

An egomaniac tends to want everything for himself despite the protests of others. Who protested against John Hume? Did he want everything for himself? Or only what was due to him?

Finally it takes one to know one.

Hey Mick,

Good luck and hope everyone is well and everything goes well.

‘treat your supporters with respect’ uh, how bout treating the voters with respect?

I know it is beyond cliche, but in my limited (emphasis on limited) experience of and exposure to the SDLP, what a collection of smug, self-satisfied and uninspiring non-entities. Obviously, the usual caveat applies and this descriptor does not apply to all in the SDLP. But on balance, would I vote for the current SDLP? Like fuck. Why bother with a tray bake sale when whats required is a wholesome and healthy knuckle sandwich.

‘Be bold and … be prepared for a culture shock’.
Why not, maybe the torch is being passed to a new generation. But I’m not holding my breath.