The SDLP

The Sad Democratic and Lacklustre Party. I am on the liberal left of politics, and you would think that a party underpinned by social democratic values would have my vote, but no. A party under the brave and visionary leadership of Hume, Mallon and Durkan delivered the Belfast Agreement, topped the polls in 1998, quite rightly deserved to bask in the glory of their achievement. Today they languish at the bottom, with 8 MLAs, no executive ministries and a recent survey showing electoral support at 7 %. All of this is a consequence of the failure to navigate the post-2007 political landscape. The question to Colm is, if “it’s not dead” it’s on a political ventilator, the next step being DNR. 

Reasons not to be cheerful: One, this town isn’t big enough for the both of us, that is two green parties. The reality is that Sinn Fein owns the green wall and a light green alternative, to coin the phrase “doesn’t cut the mustard”.  Two, the post-Hume, Mallon and Durkan leadership has at best been mediocre, which included intellectual and political lightweights such as Richie and McDonnell. I attended an SDLP conference where Margaret Ritchie said that unification was the SDLP’s number one priority, not the underlying principles of social democracy. Three, if Colm thinks that his New Ireland Commission is the route to a political resurrection, he is sadly mistaken. No one has and I mean no one, has provided a vision let alone the mechanics, laid out the complexities or a plan for this new Ireland. Four, they talk about rights, but as a party, they don’t have the political kahunas to believe in a woman’s right to choose or a secular education system. Five, they supported an education review panel that does not include an entrepreneur/ tech entrepreneur, the very people who will create the jobs of the future. Six, they support an apartheid school infrastructure that costs an additional £80m per annum. Seven, they support a broad curriculum, what does that entail and do they really understand the role of education in an interconnected world? Eight, they believe that the quality of our teacher education is strong, you better check out the EU’s 2021 Teachers in Europe Report. Nine, they supported the largesse of the £100 post covid giveaway costing some £150m, when the very same SDLP MLAs clapped every Thursday, for the £9.00 an hour key workers. Ten, more fiscal powers and Corbyness largess, seriously!

 Let me finish by saying, it’s time to expand your voter base from the traditional conservative middle-class church-going Catholics to a generation of younger, socially liberal, that is economically mobile and who require a deliverable politically progressive agenda. Wind back talking about a New Ireland, rather a different Northern Ireland or North of Ireland, underpinned by social democratic values of democracy and civic education, rights, duties and social cohesion. It’s time to extend your voter appeal or die and Colm, stop being so grumpy.

Let me know what you think in the comments below 👇

Suneil Sharma

Belfast