It is just about a year since I joined the SDLP. I had of course been an active member from May 1973 to around 1981/82.
I am a socialist, republican, nationalist……and those things that I believe in ….coupled with my self-interest (and that of my family) is best served by the Social Democratic and Labour Party. The SDLP also has a greater committment to “civil rights” than any other Party and its leaders are simply decent people.
When I re-joined the SDLP in 2011, it was not because the SDLP was in a “good place”. Indeed it was in a bad place, having lost two seats, a tad unluckily in the Assembly Elections. It was in the throes of a Leadership Election and I felt that having been on the fringes of political activity for the best part of two years and on the fringes of SDLP membership for about nine months … it was time to put up or shut up by handing over a membership fee.
As it turned out, the Leadership Contest was not nearly as divisive as people feared (and the enemies of the SDLP anticipated). Each of the four candidates brought something to the “table” and I have heard from more than one person that a Leader made up of the qualities of the four contenders would have been ideal.
As it is Alasdair McDonnell is doing a decent job, not least because he is doing exactly what he said he would do. The Party is undergoing reform. Membership is up. Finance is better. The SDLP Youth Group is scarily efficient (as an old man I am easily scared by young people) and there is a structure in place “Shadow Representatives” to bring on a new generation and target winnable Assembly and Council Seats. A series of seminars on…….Agrifood, Economics and other subjects have been useful in themselves and important morale-boosters for a Party, which badly needed it.
Morale is actually “key” here. There is a definite optimism in the air. There does seem to be a little unfinished business in respect of key roles for senior members. And still an over-reliance on listening to voices that are not necessarily friendly to SDLP. Hopefully the next Annual Conference (Armagh City Hotel in November) will invite people who are broadly sympathetic to the SDLP “ethos”.
Journalist and former Belfast City Council member, Brian Feeney would top my list of people who I would like to hear at Conference. A better bet than Davey Adams and Duncan Morrow and the selection of non-SDLP people who the SDLP feel obliged to invite to Conference.
I am often asked to which SDLP Branch I am attached. The answer is NONE. I am not attached to any Branch. I think this gives me a certain freedom, although it does limit my rights as a member.
My “blogging” particuarly comments made by me BEFORE I joined the SDLP are probably held against me. And I am probably not seen as belonging to a particular wing. I supported Patsy McGlone for Leader. But essentially I am a semi-detached SDLP person.
When I joined SDLP last year, I decided I would give it a year to see how it worked out. Pretty good. Here’s to another year.
Keeping An Eye On the Czar of Russia 
An interesting post. The acid test of course, will be the next round of elections, some time off still.
I understand that there is background organisational work being done but I still see no evidence of real actual change “above the water line”
I do know that much important work is done locally and often quietly but sometimes a big hit or a game changer is required to grab the wider public imagination. Recent events in Belfast were a missed opportunity in my opinion, for the SDLP to take the initiative. I cannot recall a single comment or initiative around those events.
Equally, some of the newer faces…..well they may be new faces but what are they doing? What do they think?
In short, I am what might be termed a potential SDLP voter. I still have no reason to vote for them, can’t think of one (nb: I differentiate between positive reasons to vote for rather than negative reasons such as voting against the other lot etc)
The SDLP is yet to engage or inspire me to vote for them. I am, however, available to attend and, if required, deliver the keynote address to conference. (For a small consideration such as a few pints on the FJH expense account!) 😉
Most SDLP people give me a wide berth 🙂
But youre certainly right in respect of North Belfast. I know a lot of SDLP people are “working hard on the ground” (a phrase I hate)….and some kinda cobbled together solution will be arrived at involving Church figures, politicians and “community activisists” to ensure the Covenant Parade goes ahead.
Personally I wish that it doesnt go ahead. It simply doesnt deserve to.
And certainly there are occasions when SDLP revival needs to be under the radar. But I would rather see senior figures come out loud and strong on this phoney crap. Time to call a UVF spade…a UVF spade.
Is it not true that the SDLP’s greatest strength and success was their principled stand over civil rights? In other words when they called a spade a shovel, to borrow your metaphor, and backed it up with reasoned argument and non violent protest.
Where are the new generation of Seamus Mallons and Brid Rodgers?
I can just imagine what those two would do to the likes of Nigel Dodds or Nelson McCauseland in a TV studio. And boy would I love to tune in for that one, you could sell tickets.
That, in my opinion, is exactly what the SDLP needs.
ps: I am a generation younger than you and by extension them. I understand the need for regeneration in a party. It’s just that you can’t savage a wolf with a dead sheep (Apologies to Dennis Healy….I Think)
WHAT!!!!!……….Seamus Mallon & Bríd Rodgers are a generation above me!!. Im a young lad in comparison.
Arguably they stayed around five years too long (same with councillors) and while I understand the reasons, it was the generation in their 40s and 50s who missed out……although it could be argued that there was no forum for that generation.
I think the generation currently in their 20s and 30s are the “real deal”.
It was a bit like a GAA team being good but getting older. And having a good Minor team but a poor Under 21 team.
LOL. sorry for that low blow, I’m early 40”s so tend to think in 20 year brackets. I’d still pay good money to see Seamus in his prime taking Dodds or Mc Causland apart
I could tell you a story from the 1970s.
I’m still laughing at Mrs FJH thinking you’d been added to the exhibits at Collins Barracks Museum, hence my error…..
I am sure there are a few stories from the 70’s that will come out yet. I’m presuming you are referring to the boul Seamus, not a man to be trifled with and, I remind you, a man who held South Armagh politically for the SDLP. No mean feat. Hence my comments
Hello FitzJamesHorse,
While I’m familiar with you from slugger, I only stumbled across your blog and this post today. Considering the topic I felt compelled to write something, as by a total fluke, only a few hours earlier I happened to be renewing my SDLP membership after joining for the first time last year. Possibly I should buy a lottery ticket too. I broadly support the party but have my own issues with their stance on things. Anyway, I’m 27 and have had it suggested to me by the odd member I know about the possibilty of taking the plunge myself and seek an election. Few problems with that, that I thought I’d run past you before making a total fool of myself. Firstly, I live and study in London (just finishing a PhD in laser stuff since you asked), and I’ve never been to a meeting before. How much emphasis is placed on ‘doing your time’ with the party grassroots first. I’ve always imagined that a party should have people with different backgrounds take part rather than 20 people who do the pump parish stuff well, or 20 people with a politics degree from queen’s or 20 ex-provos if that’s your thing.
Secondly, what are ‘hustings’ like and who has the final say? Do new faces on the scene get a serious look in?
I’m not sure if I’m branch aligned either. I just applied for membership but they may have assigned me to Foyle if they went by my home address. Anyway, I felt compelled to put my hand in my pocket to shore up what looks like a recovery in terms of membership, finances etc… Would someone like you have any idea what the membership actually stands at? I always get conflicting information. For example I here that the UUP has a lot of members but the DUP still outvotes them and seems to have more in the coffers. Sinn Fein always seem to flaunt their activists by flooding entire areas with canvassers on election day but I always here the SDLP as having a young broad educated pool of talent and don’t know who to believe.
Anyway, just fishing for your thoughts on a few things there,
CharlieSheensPRGuru
Charlie,
I suppose a 27 year old “new member” is in a better position than a 60 year old “new member” as I am. I think thats one reason I feel a little detached from the Party. In the 1970s I was a young man and those people I would have known from West Belfast (where I lived) have sadly passed on or retired from front line politics.
As a consequence of leaving in 191/82 as well as two changes of address, I have few people of my age that I know within the SDLP. Those who are in their 50s, 60s etc have generally been long serving people who have paid their dues in canvassing, fundraising, branch committees, secretary, chairman etc. Joining as a 59 year old is a strange dynamic as it places me outside networking and various alliances that have grown up over years.
In that sense I am more of a new boy than a 27 year old. Members under 30 are eligible for the SDLP Youth and they are scarily intelligent and several are in key Branch positions. One initiative has been to appoint “shadow councillors” in areas where SDLP is under-represented and this gives these people who are usually in their 20s a head start publcity wise when the next council elections are due.
I thin the big thing for SDLP has been that maybe some senior people stayed on just one election cycle too long or that people slightly younger than myself did not get a chance to develop skills in the 1980s because there was no politics at Stormont.
This means….there is a gap between say) “old timers” and “youngsters”. More people in their 40s is the big problem but as the young are coming on then it is less of a problem.
Theres no way I would ever be selected for anything although I would love to fight an unwinnable seat for the craic.
Although Foyle is your constituency, you will find there are a few different branches within the constituency I know there is one in Waterside, one in Shantallow and another in Northland. If you have not been notified which branch you are in, get on to Party HQ and ask them.
Numbers….I havent a clue. Its probably confidential but Id guess that these things tend to go in familes. Wives, brothers, sisters of councillors probably make up the bulk of members. And some places like South Belfast have a few branches. Likewise South Down has several and there were at least a couple of hundred at a selection convention in South Down last year.
There were 240 branch delegates at last years Conference….and each Branch gets one delegate for every ten members. But there is other factors that probably mean the actual membership last year was around 1,650. Id guess that it is probably over 2,100 now.
Hope this helps.