To some in the SDLP North Antrim MLA Declan O Loan made a cardinal error; he spoke his mind. Lincoln once said better to say silent and be thought a fool than to open ones mouth and remove all doubt. Many politicians rush to air their views in order to prove the Lincoln maxim true. Declan O’ Loan is not such an individual and he is certainly no fool. He is a thoughtful and cerebral individual, who like his wife, Nuala is a competent and calculated media performer. Mr O’ Loan is not prone to intemperate or rash remarks. All of which makes his public intervention on the future of the SDLP so remarkable. He is not one of the SDLP’s looser cannons.
Mr O’ Loan’s crime was to speak of the love that dare not speak its name; i.e. the diminishing brand values that are the SDLP. During the recent election Sinn Fein pulled off a significant PR coup against the SDLP by deftly but publically pulling their no hope candidate out of South Belfast and calling for a reciprocal move by the SDLP in Fermanagh/South Tyrone. Sinn Fein argued that the nationalist electorate would be unforgiving of the SDLP if it did not put ‘nationalist’ unity ahead of their political principles. It was pointed out in this column that the SDLP position may not be fully understood by the nationalist electorate in Fermanagh/South Tyrone. As a tactic it worked for Sinn Fein and the SDLP vote in Fermanagh/ Tyrone collapsed. The SDLP could not afford a reciprocal move as it would have damaged the SDLP pulling power for tactical voting by moderate unionists in South Belfast, South Down and to a lesser extent Foyle.
The retention of all three SDLP seats with comfortable majorities assuaged the SDLP Leadership’s fears of an electoral meltdown but it also masked fundamental problems at a grassroots level. Unlike the Ulster Unionists the SDLP could afford to concentrate their resources to the three target seats and this gave them a focus. Elsewhere the SDLP vote was a casualty of their limited resources of manpower and money. On the doors in nationalist areas there was dismay and sometimes anger about the lack of nationalist cooperation. Many SDLP canvassers went home with that flea in their ears.
The SDLP was right to spurn the hollow offer by Gerry Adams though they did not handle or explain its rejection very well. The SDLP raison d’être is more defined these days by not being Sinn Fein than being for anything else. Declan O’ Loan is right to acknowledge the shift in allegiances that he is detecting on the doorsteps and the backing of some young SDLP Turks in his constituency suggests that he is not alone in his thinking. Of course, his decision to go solo on the matter was misguided but so too was the withering response by the SDLP media team which resulted in yet another sledge hammer being taken to a nut.
The SDLP put down of Mr O’ Loan was disproportionate and quite damaging to Mr O Loan’s political career in the party- though electorally speaking one doubts his position will do him much harm in North Antrim -an already at risk SDLP seat.
While realignment with Sinn Fein is completely a non starter for 95% of the SDLP membership; it’s high time the SDLP leadership acknowledged that change is afoot. The constitutional nationalist plinth is now shared with Sinn Fein who as the largest nationalist party is administrating a devolved parliament within in a UK political context.
There will be nationalist re-alignment and the voters are ahead of the two nationalist parties in Northern Ireland which in Irish terms are both North-Eastern political phenomena. In an evolving political framework the more likely result will be new political entrants or realignments which can best deliver to our economic and political aspirations than one monolithic nationalist bloc.
National economic well being will be to the fore; not nationalist identity.
As the 1916 anniversary approaches the Taoiseach has warned against anyone hi-jacking nationalism as he believes there needs to be a new charter for a 21st Century Republic .
The SDLP needs a new focus. In the current climate and as short to medium term project that is best found by being progressive on jobs and wealth creation, taxation, education and opportunity. The SDLP should be the party of a ‘the hand up’ rather than ‘the hand out’.
Nationalist re-alignment will happen but better the SDLP heed the message than shoot the messenger.
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