SDLP and Fianna Fail
In January 2003, Tom Kelly was one of the first senior SDLP figures to call for a merger with Fianna Fail.
Although his party was affiliated to the Socialist International, he rejected any notion of a merger with the Irish Labour Party:
"At the beginning of the 21st century Fianna Fail is the natural party of government, with the instincts and ability to deliver the services and structures that will form the basis of a truly united Ireland," he said. "It is a party with the support of ordinary decent people who recognise what the real priorities are - health, education, employment. This support base is also the natural home of the SDLP, and it is for this reason that Fianna Fail will never choose to compete against the SDLP directly."
Well, well…allow me a bit of decent deconstruction here. The 'ordinary decent people' referred to by Tom are increasingly becoming angrier at the breathtaking arrogance of Bertie and his fellow suits in government. If FF gave a damn about the decent people, the HSE would be put out to grass and Mary Harney sacked over the most recent scandals concerning cancer facilities. The real priorities are not health, education and employment . . . they are keeping Bertie and his cronies in power at all costs. This is the Taoiseach who last week lectured workers on pay restraint, having made excuses for his own pay rise of 38,000 euro per annum, and didn't bat an eyelid when the CEO of the HSE, Brendan Drumm, had his salary increased by 60,000!
As a Sinn Fein TD said of Drumm, who was complimented as being a 'first-class manager': "Professor Drumm had been a first-class paediatric but Steve Staunton was once a first-class player".
One SDLP member reflected recently: "I personally am completely opposed to the merger. I am a social democrat and I joined the party that was founded out of the Civil Rights Movement. For all SDLP members, I think they should remember some very important issues: When Margaret Ritchie planned to cut the CTI, the FF government applied pressure on her to change her decision - as did the British Government. When the SDLP raised its issues with the On The Runs Legislation, as it would allow security personnel as well as paramilitaries to be exempt from criminal prosecution, the FF government applied pressure on the SDLP to change its position and not rock the boat - as did the British Government."
If the SDLP wish to retain the words Social and Democratic in their title, they should take a hard look at any proposed merger with a party whose ethos is increasingly making Maggie Thatcher look like Mother Teresa.
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Sunday 27 May 2012
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