Alban Maginness: Not done deal SDLP members will back link with Fianna Fail

A veteran SDLP man has said that the party leadership will find it hard to win the day on Saturday when members vote on whether to formally link up with Fianna Fail.
By The Newsroom
Published 7th Feb 2019, 12:45 BST
Updated 11th Feb 2019, 10:10 BST
PACEMAKER BELFAST 24/01/2019 Colum Eastwood of the SDLP & Micheal Martin of Fianna Fail arriving for at a joint press conference in Belfast. The SDLP and Fianna Fail have entered an "unprecedented and historic" partnership aimed at restoring public faith in politics. The announcement was made at a press conference in Belfast on Thursday. The SDLP announced a series of common policies with Ireland's Fianna Fail pledging to shake up efforts to resolve the powersharing crisis at Stormont. They promised a politics which works after more than two years of non-government in Northern Ireland, and moves to unite Ireland's people amid what they see as the threat posed to north/south cooperation by Brexit.PACEMAKER BELFAST 24/01/2019 Colum Eastwood of the SDLP & Micheal Martin of Fianna Fail arriving for at a joint press conference in Belfast. The SDLP and Fianna Fail have entered an "unprecedented and historic" partnership aimed at restoring public faith in politics. The announcement was made at a press conference in Belfast on Thursday. The SDLP announced a series of common policies with Ireland's Fianna Fail pledging to shake up efforts to resolve the powersharing crisis at Stormont. They promised a politics which works after more than two years of non-government in Northern Ireland, and moves to unite Ireland's people amid what they see as the threat posed to north/south cooperation by Brexit.
PACEMAKER BELFAST 24/01/2019 Colum Eastwood of the SDLP & Micheal Martin of Fianna Fail arriving for at a joint press conference in Belfast. The SDLP and Fianna Fail have entered an "unprecedented and historic" partnership aimed at restoring public faith in politics. The announcement was made at a press conference in Belfast on Thursday. The SDLP announced a series of common policies with Ireland's Fianna Fail pledging to shake up efforts to resolve the powersharing crisis at Stormont. They promised a politics which works after more than two years of non-government in Northern Ireland, and moves to unite Ireland's people amid what they see as the threat posed to north/south cooperation by Brexit.

Party members will meet at 11am in Canal Court, Newry, to debate and decide whether to back leader Colum Eastwood in his partnership plans, announced on January 23.

However, Alban Maginness, an ex-MLA for North Belfast, said that the planned “partnership” is “not a done deal at all”.

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“I think that there’ll be a very serious debate and I’m not certain there’s widespread support for it amongst the grassroots of the party,” he told the News Letter.

“I think there is divided opinion in relation to this. And I think it might be difficult for the leadership to receive endorsement of the conference.”

However, he indicated the leadership could still survive if the members reject the plans.

As to what would happen for Colum Eastwood and his deputy Nichola Mallon, he said: “I don’t think so ... I think there’s general confidence in Colum Eastwood.

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“I don’t think there’s any attempt by anybody to undermine his leadership but there are differences of opinion in relation to the partnership.”

He had written last week in his regular Belfast Telegraph column that he opposed the partnership, adding that the Fianna Fail-SDLP partnership could hurt unionist relations.

Pressed on this aspect of things by the News Letter he said unionists would regard Fianna Fail as “alien to them”.

As to why, he said: “It’s just an impression I get.”

It comes after extracts from a five-page document circulated to party members ahead of the vote surfaced.

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Matthew Corr, chairman of the SDLP’s youth wing, last week told the News Letter the actual detail of the “partnership” is “vague”.

The SDLP has refused to answer specific questions about whether Fianna Fail will, for example, share financial resources with the SDLP.

Portions of the document, as quoted in the Irish News, appear to largely repeat what the party leader already said on January 23.

They include talk of a “programme of public engagement” and of setting up a “joint working group” with Fianna Fail to thrash out “new policies and solutions”.

SDLP member Naomh Gallagher, writing online this week, said it has “no information about the logistics of the partnership”.

Related topics:SDLPColum EastwoodNewryNichola Mallon