Tag Archives: SDLP

SDLP Economic Forum

The photograph shows Alasdair McDonnell winding up the Forum. Fearghal McKinney made a short introduction Alasdair made a short low key speech Alex Attwood made probably the best speech I have heard him make. And three sessions of panel discussions: … Continue reading

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SDLP And Its History

In his welcome to SDLP members and guests to an Economic Forum yesterday, the first words Vice-Chair Fearghal McKinney said was a tribute to Paddy Wilson, the founder member murdered forty years ago this week. History is a continuum…not just … Continue reading

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Paddy Wilson…Forty Years Ago Tonight

On the night of 25th June 1973, one of the eight people who founded the SDLP was murdered. He was murdered with a friend in North Belfast. They died in horrific circumstances, too gruesome to recount here. Paddy Wilson visited … Continue reading

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Irish Labour Party Deserves All It Gets

I have no sympathy for the Irish Labour. Nominally a sister Party of the SDLP, it has been remarkably unsupportive of SDLP down the years. I recall a walkout at a 1970s SDLP Conference whenConor Cruise O’Brien …a truly awful … Continue reading

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SDLP and Sinn Fein: How It Was

One of the books on the Troubles, it might even be Brian Feeney’s book on SDLP and Sinn Fein describes the early 1970s Sinn Fein manifestation as non combatants…the parents and wives of the activists in the Irish Republican Army. … Continue reading

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SDLP and Sinn Fein

There was a conference at University of Ulster yesterday. Unfortunately due to a logistical problem, I did not get to attend. It was actually in the form of a series of discussions…one of which was on the relationship between SDLP … Continue reading

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Paddy Wilson RIP

A declaration…Paddy Wilson was a friend of my father who occasionally visited our house. Elected to the old Stormont Senate in 1969, he was one of the eight founder members of the SDLP a year later. The last occasion that … Continue reading

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If Political Parties Were Football Clubs….

In 1998, we had a family holiday in North Wales. One day we went up to Manchester. On another day we went to Liverpool…obviously we went to Old Trafford, Anfield and Goodison Park. The city of Liverpool…I like it. All … Continue reading

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Durkan Tops SDLP Youth Poll

This is interesting. My friends in SDLP Youth have had a poll on who the Party should select as the candidate in the European Elections next year and have come up with Mark Durkan, former Party Leader and currently the … Continue reading

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SpAd Alert Post

Oh dear …another post on the vexed question of Sinn Fein and their “right” to appoint their own Special Advisors to the (taxpayer-funded) civil service OR  the “responsibility” of Sinn Fein not to appoint persons (people who have served fourteen … Continue reading

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