sdlp – Page 13 – Slugger O'Toole

Third ‘rebel without a cause’ resigns in one of the SDLP’s sure fire #AE16 constituencies…

Mick Fealty on April 11, 2016, 5:07 pm

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So the SDLP holdouts in West Tyrone have a third defector: timed, presumably, for maximum disruption of the party’s manifesto launch this morning. Last week the party’s campaign launch was the target. Joanne Donnelly, from the Omagh end of what’s a rather disparate constituency, is the youngest and the latest councillor to leave. It’s not clear either from the MSM reporting or the various statements what it’s all about. Here’s the party’s statement: “These issues are difficult. We’re a democratic party, we’ve had two selection conventions …

On The Doors Podcast; Ep 1, Week 1

David McCann on April 9, 2016, 3:22 pm

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Over the next four weeks, the Irish News political correspondent, John Manley and myself will be conducting a video podcast called “On The Doors” looking back over the week that was in politics. Episode One is out today & we were joined by the commentator, Adrianne Peltz. This week, we looked at trouble in the SDLP & Sinn Fein in West Tyrone, the DUP manifesto and the UUP going to Dublin to examine the Easter Rising. Our thanks go to the …

Two SDLP Councillors resign from the party in West Tyrone.

David McCann on April 5, 2016, 8:53 am

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The SDLP are launching their election campaign this morning and they have some bad news greeting leader, Colum Eastwood as the BBC’s Gareth Gordon tweets; SDLP councillors Josephine Deehan& @PatsyKellySDLP resign and will stand as indsocial democrats in W Tyrone. Blow for @columeastwood — Gareth Gordon (@BBCGarethG) April 5, 2016 Ryan McAleer from the Ulster Herald follows up with; StrabanecllrPatsy Kelly and OmaghcllrJo Deehanhave blamed “unconstitutionalpractices and cronyism” within @SDLPlive locally. #AE16 — Ryan McAleer(@RyanMcAleerUH) April 5, 2016 John Manley …

Eastwood would talk to Dissident Republicans

David McCann on April 1, 2016, 2:10 pm

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Interesting interview with the Irish Times with Brian Rowan speaking to the SDLP Leader, Colum Eastwood. The interview focused on security issues and how best to deal with the threat posed by dissident republicans. Speaking to Rowan, Eastwood said; I would go anywhere and speak to anyone if I thought it would save one life He continued arguing; If Irish history shows us anything, it’s that a security response alone won’t work. That means we have to constantly take on and …

Candidates from the parties in #ae16

David McCann on March 24, 2016, 2:19 pm

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A few people have gotten in touch with us to ask if it is possible to get a list of candidates running in this years Assembly election. In the spirit of being a public service, I thought I would compile a list of candidates running for each party in the Assembly. If I have missed anybody let me know and I will add them. NOTE- Constituencies left blank means that the party has just not nominated a candidate yet DUP …

Unionist parties reject Modeling Irish Unification Report

David McCann on March 23, 2016, 1:18 pm

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No real surprise here, but worth noting the response of the two main Unionist parties to the launch of the Modeling Irish Unification. The report was launched this morning at The MAC in Belfast with Sinn Fein, SDLP MLAs and economists in the audience. This report argues that Irish unity could potentially bring a €35.6 billion boost in GDP for the island in the first eight years. Responding for the UUP, Steve Aiken argues that the reports main conclusions are …

In The Arena; Some of our departing MLAs

David McCann on March 16, 2016, 3:14 pm

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The current 2011-2016 Assembly mandate is over and now we are getting into election mode. However, before we get into thinking about the next Assembly, I wanted to pause for a moment to reflect on the one that has just passed and some of the people departing from it. Out of the current 108 MLAs, 16 are standing down at this election. That doesn’t include MLAs like Pat Ramsey, Conall McDevitt, Joe Byrne, Neil Somerville and Sue Ramsay who all …

Soapbox: Will the SDLP’s Achilles heel be the City that was once its bastion?

Mick Fealty on March 15, 2016, 3:05 pm

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Hugh Brown is a Derry based reader, who occasionally writes Soapbox pieces for Slugger. He argues that the Achilles heel of Colum Eastwood speech was that it lacked policy detail and any explanation of where investment money will come from. Following the SDLP AGM in Derry, we are no further forward in what the SDLP tend to do in the run-up to the May election. Colum Eastwood’s demeanour reminded me of the Irish Labour Party before its decimation. His speech …

#SDLP16: Rome wasn’t made functional in a day, nor will Northern Ireland in one election

Mick Fealty on March 14, 2016, 2:51 pm

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It’s well to remember that no SDLP leader has made a senior league speech since the single transferable days of John Hume. On Saturday night they got something approaching that. Eastwood covered things that have been neglected for much of the last 25 years. It energised the hall which – lest we forget in this age of Twitter – actually does still matter. Particularly in the teeth of what is likely to be a very tough election for both nationalist …

Well delivered speech after lacklustre conference as #SDLP16 returns to Derry heartland

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on March 12, 2016, 9:01 pm

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LOW ENERGY conference in Derry as smaller than expected numbers of SDLP delegates gathered to hear their new leader and be enthused on the eve of the Assembly election campaign.

Are Hustings a massive waste of time during elections?

David McCann on March 9, 2016, 2:01 pm

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I was part of a short segment from Chris Page on BBC Newsline looking at the issue of election hustings. I have seen hustings from both an organisers point of view and somebody who has sat in the audience. For most organisers they are hugely stressful and time consuming, for an audience member they can be a chance to learn about a candidate or they can be incredibly frustrating as candidates struggle/avoid answering questions, plus for some of the more …

Mr Eastwood; Your task this weekend if you choose to accept it

David McCann on March 9, 2016, 11:39 am

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In Westminster they say being leader of the opposition is the worst job in British politics, if we were to extend the metaphor to Northern Ireland, then being the SDLP leader must be one of the worst jobs in Stormont. Think about it for a moment, your party has just come out of a leadership contest and electorally you’re down in the dumps. This is Colum Eastwood’s inheritance and the task he faces to turn this ship around. His first …

Former NI21 deputy leader Councillor Johnny McCarthy joins SDLP

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on February 23, 2016, 10:44 am

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Johnny McCarthy – at one stage NI21’s only councillor and the party’s deputy leader before he resigned from the party in late 2015 – has joined the SDLP.

NI Assembly Commission misleads the Assembly, and the public

Pete Baker on February 15, 2016, 3:20 pm

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When the BBC reported the Northern Ireland Assembly Commission’s written answers to some ‘stupid’ questions from TUV leader Jim Allister on Friday they used the headline “Sinn Féin MLAs who claimed almost £700,000 in expenses ‘did nothing wrong‘”. There was also a report broadcast, “Sinn Féin cleared in expenses investigation“. The NI Assembly Commission is chaired by the Speaker, currently Sinn Féin’s Mitchel McLaughlin, and consists of one MLA from each of the Executive parties – who have a vote …

In 2016 are the SDLP drinking in the last chance saloon?

Irish Political Maps on February 12, 2016, 3:46 pm

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The rise of the Democratic Unionist Party over the last decade and a half has harmed the older Ulster Unionist Party. On the nationalist side, the same thing has happened, but the change has been much more pronounced. Colum Eastwood, leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party, has committed himself and his party to recapturing the heights it once enjoyed before the meteoric rise of Sinn Féin. Not afraid to make bold pronouncements, Eastwood has called the SDLP “the …

Orange, green…time for a new idea on ‘the border’ in between?

CM Johnston on February 11, 2016, 12:28 pm

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An excellent piece by Belfast Barman recently asked why, since the dream/ threat of a United Ireland allegedly defines our politics in Northern Ireland, we rarely hear the details of how exactly it would work discussed by those in favour or the precise, alleged horrors of such a thing debated by those strongly against. In an even more recent post Colum Eastwood, however, starts to think – in broad terms – about what might be needed to bring about a …

Fatal Foetal Abnormality Amendment falls 59 to 40.

David McCann on February 11, 2016, 8:38 am

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Late last night the Assembly voted down an amendment proposed by Stewart Dickson and Trevor Lunn to allow a termination in the case of fatal foetal abnormality. Here is a link so you can seek how each MLA voted on this issue, but here are some interesting votes. In terms of party leaders, Arlene Foster, Colum Eastwood and Jim Allister all voted no. Martin McGuinness, Steven Agnew, David Ford and Mike Nesbitt voted for the amendment. Only the DUP (against) and …

SDLP to vote against Justice Bill amendments

David McCann on February 10, 2016, 11:08 am

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New leadership team and a new raft of MLAs fueled speculation that there might be a change in policy from the SDLP on this issue. Particularly since the new leader was stressing the “progressive” elements of his platform. However, the party has decided to stick to it’s current policy and vote against the amendments to the Justice Bill in the Assembly today. A party spokesperson said; The SDLP is a pro-life party and we do not support the extension of …

Should bonfires be licensed or negotiated with individual communities?

Mick Fealty on February 9, 2016, 1:52 pm

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BONFIRES OR VANITIES: Claire Hanna of the SDLP contextualises the party’s Environment Minister’s proposals to licence bonfires (any and all of them). Her key point is that compliance with the law as it is currently practised cannot rely on negotiated outcomes in which ‘the community’ decides what’s fair.

Eastwood: A new North doesn’t mean an economy based on smuggling of diesel, cigarettes or waste.

Soapbox on February 8, 2016, 2:35 pm

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SPREAD OUT TO COME TOGETHER: Colum Eastwood argues that rhetoric will not tear down the border or even put a dent in it. Everyone, he argues, unionist, nationalist and the many who now don’t subscribe to either, require a much fuller idea of what is meant and imagined within the context of a New Ireland.