sdlp – Page 23 – Slugger O'Toole

SDLP shows signs of life … and opposition

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on November 9, 2012, 10:18 pm

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If the number of motions raised by party branches was an indication of strength and fervour, the SDLP would have forever lost their South Down and Londonderry Party nickname. Unlike unionist party conferences, the SDLP’s annual shindig is a policy body as well as a public relations vehicle. Outside of the Parliamentary Assembly Group which raised around one third of the 118 motions, Belfast branches lead the lobbying table: 9 Balmoral 8 Anderstown 6 Youth 6 Omagh 5 Rowallane (South …

Micheál Martin: “As a Republican I feel an obligation to make my contribution to the debate…”

Mick Fealty on November 9, 2012, 6:29 pm

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Micheál Martin’s interview with Mark Carruthers on The View last night is interesting viewing. Not least at the point (about here) where Carruthers mentions Gerry Adams’ dismissal of the Fianna Fail’s interventions as being driven by a concern for politics in the south. I’ve no doubt that the general thrust of Adams statement is correct. As argued here before, that’s what competitors do do. But the idea that FF and SF are neck and neck in the Republic only really …

SDLP try an ‘insider trading card’ to connect with Sinn Fein’s base?

Mick Fealty on September 13, 2012, 1:23 pm

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So the Commissioner for Public Appointments says that OFMdFM were bang out of order in their appointments to the board of the new Maze facility… Why? Because much of the political activity of the new appointees was not declared according to the rules of the CPA. [Where have we heard that one before? – Ed] Ironically, by the strict rules of the CPA, the chair – you know, the one Sinn Fein officials initially made a great fuss over, does …

“The PSNI said it was the council who had removed the debris, “after consultation with the local community”.”

Pete Baker on July 23, 2012, 4:59 pm

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Three nights of disturbances in the Galliagh area of Londonderry, including an arson attack on a electricity sub-station, during which police have been attacked with petrol bombs and other items, have been blamed on a “hardcore” element by the PSNI. A “youth worker” in the same BBC report concurs Mr Connolly said: “It’s clearly been totally anti-social vandalism – no motive behind it all all – and people can use the excuse of a bonfire but it’s got nothing to do with a …

SDLP needs a story that makes its opponents more uncomfortable than it does themselves..

Mick Fealty on May 23, 2012, 4:57 pm

| Readers 88

Now here’s an interesting one. Almost as interesting for where it comes from as to what it suggests… Nigel Dodds is having a go at the SDLP for taking up a number of cases concerning the fate of dissident Republicans, in particular that of Gerry McGeough… The News Letter reports: The DUP deputy leader questioned the advice being given to SDLP leader Alasdair McDonnell and added: “Gerry McGeough was convicted of the attempted murder of my party colleague Sammy Brush. …

Sinn Fein’s South Down selection sows seeds for a new post conflict generation…

Mick Fealty on April 24, 2012, 4:45 pm

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Nice move from Sinn Fein in their choice of MLA to replace Willie Clarke in South Down. The new boy (seen here signing in at Stormont) is Chris Hazzard, a native of Drumaness, in the north of the constituency. He’s a alum of my old school, which we used to call St Pat’s Knock (grammar school) and has just completed his studies for a PhD at Queens on subjects that might almost have been chosen for his new political life …

16 Nationalist MLAs in the top 20 of free ink claimants…

Mick Fealty on April 5, 2012, 12:40 pm

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Interesting front page story in the Irish News today… They’ve been digging on the use of free toner to political parties and it breaks down to this: Sinn Fein £93,550 SDLP £58,693 DUP £52,770 UUP £25,515 Pat Doherty in West Tyrone claimed about £16,300, although the party say that Doherty shared an office with the former MLA Clare McGill… Sinn Fein MLAs made up nine of the top twenty spots followed by the SDLP (seven), the DUP (three), and the …

SDLP first to refuse MLA salary increase and rationalise consitutuency operations

Mick Fealty on March 30, 2012, 1:05 pm

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As Liam Clarke rightly notes, the decision by the SDLP leader not to take the pay rise [ahem, you mean the one he originally called for – Ed] offered by the Assembly commission will ask some serious questions of other parties, not least Sinn Fein who have previously noted their disapproval of the proposed rise, but who’s considerable party infrastructure also depends to a large extent on ‘taxing’ the salaries of their own MLAs… “Our MLAs have agreed to decline …

Is a reformed and elected Lords a serious ‘come back’ opportunity for the SDLP?

Mick Fealty on March 28, 2012, 9:44 am

| Readers 47

Interesting piece by Brian Feeney in today’s Irish News, pointing out that a recently leaked committee report talks about beefing up the Lords, redding out the poor attenders (of which there are more than a few Unionist reps) and making all new seats amenable to re-election (albeit for a fifteen year period)… He suggests that if Sinn Fein jumps abstain towards abstention, it is opening up new, winnable ground for nationalism’s zombie party (“life after political death”) in an all …

Learning from the Tories: A road map to recovery for parties in trouble?

Mick Fealty on March 17, 2012, 12:50 pm

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Noel Whelan’s op ed piece is an intelligent structural rip from Tim Bale’s address to the recent Fianna Fail Ard Fheis on lessons to be drawn from the Tory come back after more than 13 years in the political wilderness.. Professor Bale was drawing on his recent study The Conservative Party: From Thatcher to Cameron… As Whelan suggests there are lessons here for all former incumbent parties here, north as well as south… You should really read the whole thing… …

UUP and the SDLP: Two parties in search of a script?

Mick Fealty on February 9, 2012, 9:00 am

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Very good column from Fionnuala O’Connor on Tuesday re what what’s happening to two parties in continuing decline. She starts with the semi public spat between Margaret Ritchie and her chosen successor, the retired school head, Sean Rogers: Surely between them a keen new player and a former leader could have avoided such a petty row, or at least kept the daylight from it. It’s as if they don’t realise the SDLP image has taken a battering. The old rules …

Local Political Reaction to EU Crisis Summit Outcome

Pete Baker on December 10, 2011, 4:09 pm

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How have our local political parties reacted to the outcome of the EU crisis summit? Well, neither the Green Party nor the Alliance Party appear to have noticed… The “Conservative and Unionist” MEP, Jim Nicholson, has, unsurprisingly, “welcomed the use of the British veto over a new EU-wide treaty by Prime Minister David Cameron”. “David Cameron was correct in effectively vetoing a new treaty and keeping the United Kingdom out of this new economic accord agreed at the EU emergency summit, …

McDonnell: “We must face up to the reality that the Agreement has run out of road”

Mick Fealty on November 7, 2011, 12:24 pm

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Today’s Belfast Telegraph editorial notes what it believes are the choices facing the new SDLP leader: There are a number of choices facing Dr McDonnell. Does he take on Sinn Fein directly in the Assembly, trying to point up that party’s failings in dealing with the current economic crisis and arguing that Sinn Fein’s cosy relationship with the DUP is just an exercise of political muscle with little end result? Will he take the party into opposition at Stormont? That …

Is the SDLP now ready to take a bet on its own future?

Mick Fealty on November 6, 2011, 9:27 am

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Given some of the product of the SDLP leadership contest (most notable perhaps in Patsy McGlone’s contribution) seems to be about shifting the engagement process (rather than defining new policy), this speech by Micheal Martin to Fianna Fail’s Youth Conference in Cork this afternoon is worth noting, since it tricks out something of that party’s approach to coming back in from the cold: To achieve renewal this must be a party that is totally open to new people, new ideas …

And the new SDLP leader is…. Alasdair McDonnell! (updated with graph, audio and speeches)

Mick Fealty on November 5, 2011, 5:01 pm

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Alasdair McDonnell is new SDLP leader

In contrast to Newcastle February 2010 (aye, just last year), which felt like the beginning of a process (disappointed Alasdair supporters muttering darkly into their soup), this feels like the end of a process. Alan will shortly bring you audio of tonight’s speeches, but judging from each of last nights speeches the hustings process seems to have enhanced the stature of all four men. And this afternoon there seemed to be a determination not simply to tolerate the result but …

Margaret Ritchie signs off as leader

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on November 5, 2011, 3:46 pm

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Margaret Ritchie outgoing leader speech

Margaret Ritchie addressed the SDLP conference on Saturday afternoon. Ostensibly introducing a panel on Creating Jobs Supporting People, she reflected that she first entered politics to serve people. Outgoing @sdlplive leader Margaret Ritchie addressing SDLP conference (mp3) She pointed to a “return to poverty” and a new phenomenon of “middle income poverty”. She described “the onslaught of Tory Welfare Reform” as “a major money-saving exercise at the expense of those at the bottom”. David Cameron says “We’re all in this …

SDLP Conference – Friday night is hustings night #sdlp11 (with audio from hustings speeches)

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on November 4, 2011, 10:43 pm

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It’s dark in the large room hosting the SDLP conference. So dark, that I can’t see my laptop’s keyboard. Delegates are seated around circular tables – wedding style – in the Shaws Bridge Ramada Hotel. The tables at the front are pretty empty, while delegates loiter around the back wall like teenagers at a youth club. There’s a general spirit of disinterestedness amongst some delegates this evening – the leadership is dominating everyone’s thinking. The illumination is dull, and so …

Conall McDevitt answers your questions on the SDLP leadership…

Mick Fealty on November 4, 2011, 3:42 pm

| Readers 36

And now we have the second, in what I hope will be a series of four ‘interviews’ based on Questions provided by the Slugger readership (you can see the original thread here): 1) What would you do during your first 30 days as leader to start rebuilding the SDLP? (Original question from ‘Sean Og’) If I become leader of the SDLP, my plans for renewal and rebuilding will take effect immediately. Within the first 30 days, I will convene a …

On the SDLP: “We were a group of individuals who belong to a broad church…”

Mick Fealty on November 4, 2011, 1:18 pm

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Pretty good discussion on Hearts and Minds last night (as so often, a politician free zone, the exception of Martin who’s firmly in the Fianna Fail camp these days, is its own reward) of the strengths and weaknesses of the SDLP… Organisation seems to be a critical issue, although Fionnuala O’Connor note that what the SDLP is to become is party of the larger question of what is to become of Northern Irish nationalism… Stick around for Harry Magee on …

Patsy McGlone answers your questions on the SDLP leadership…

Mick Fealty on November 4, 2011, 1:10 pm

| Readers 18

And the first one of SDLP leadership contest, is Patsy McGlone. 1) What would you do during your first 30 days as leader to start rebuilding the SDLP? (Original question from ‘Sean Og’) My plan to reform, rebuild and restore the SDLP to the centre of Irish politics relies on strengthening party unity. Among the first actions I will take as leader will be to sit down with my Assembly and Council colleagues to take their views on the political …