Mark Durkan and Stormont
A chara, Pat Ramsey's response (26th Feb) failed to address the central point which I made in my article (19th) that as things now stand the best place for political representation and effecting meaningful change is firmly located within the institutions created by the Good Friday Agreement and thus on the island of Ireland.
I suppose his failure to address this point is in someway a compliment, not that I do not firmly believe that the case I put forward is irrefutable.
In order to highlight my argument I used the list of 'achievements' as supplied by the SDLP Press Office on Mark Durkan's behalf.
I passed no judgement on the validity of the claims. I took them as they were presented. However I used them to observe that all his self-proclaimed achievements, but one, were 'achieved' in the Assembly.
This prompted me to ask the question, why would a public representative with such an impressive list of 'achievements' want to move from the forum where they were forged (and he lists the establishment of this forum as one of his 'achievements') to a place where he achieved so little?
Laudable as it is to come to the defence of his former leader and friend, Pat failed to address the core question. Permit me to ask why? Indeed permit me to suggest why?
Consider this observation - "As someone who contributed intensely to the negotiations which led to the GFA and the new institutions, it would be decidedly rich of me to commend these bodies to others yet at the same time not be wholly or solely committed to them myself."
I couldn't agree more. I could not have put it better myself.
And who uttered this illuminating comment? Why, Mark Durkan of course (Derry Journal October 2nd 2001).
As Joe Brolly might say in his day job, "I rest my case."
Is mise le meas,
Raymond McCartney MLA (Foyle)
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Sunday 12 February 2012
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