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SDLP/FF merger?

  • 30-11-2003 2:50pm
    #1
    Amnesiac_ie
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 510 ✭✭✭


    Picking through the aftermath of last week's rejection of the Good Friday agreement by the electorate in Northern Ireland I noticed this in "The Observer."

    The Observer has learnt that five leading figures from the SDLP in Belfast have decided not to stand on the party's ticket in future elections. Instead they are writing to Fianna Fail this week urging the Irish Prime Minister's party to allow the SDLP to evolve into Fianna Fail in Northern Ireland.

    None of the five who spoke to The Observer was prepared to to be publicly named. But all insisted they wanted full merger with Bertie Ahern's party, an idea first floated publicly by Tom Kelly, a former SDLP director of elections, in this newspaper 11 months ago.

    'I'm a nationalist, I'm in favour of a united Ireland so why would I not want to join an All Ireland party,' one senior SDLP member in Belfast said yesterday.

    I would lose a lot of respect I have for people in the SDLP if this were to happen. Mark Durkan is a good man but he is hopelessly incompetent agasint Gerry Adams. I scoffed when I heard last year the SDLP and the UUP were actively considering a merger within 5 years, to force a normalisation of politcs in the North. However, I think this would be a better course of action to consider than merging with one of the most corrupt institutions on this island and a politcal party which is moving further and further towards the right.


Comments

  • #2
    Cork
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,924 ✭✭✭Cork


    I would welcome a merger. SDLP would be part of a national prganisation. A merged party could compete aganist SF on a 32 county basis.

    The SDLP would be a positive influence FF in many areas of party policy.


  • #3
    daveydub
    Closed Accounts Posts: 27 ✭daveydub


    Some people seem to forget that in essence the Republic and Northern Ireland are two different countries our common bond being our border and our membership of the EU. Ok thats not to mention things such as 1801 Act of Union which brought us all together in the first place :) but now thats changed and for the better! Its up to the SDLP if it wishes to join with FF but why anyone would want to merge with a neo-conservative party with too many attachments to the Catholic Church, is anyones guess!?! But hey I'd be up for the PD's and the Lib Dem's merging as well as Irish and British Labour - there's strength in numbers...


  • #4
    Gearoid
    Closed Accounts Posts: 130 ✭✭Gearoid


    Thats suprising since the SDLP was formed from the Irish Labour party originally and a while back there was talk that they might re-merge with them.


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