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BBC NEWS | The Devenport Diaries (Free subscription) | 18/11/2009
During Monday's "Stormont Live" I asked Alasdair McDonnell if it really mattered who won the SDLP leadership contest as the party would inevitably face a squeeze at the next Assembly elections, given that Sinn Fein would tell nationalists it had a realistic chance of becoming the biggest Stormont party. Consequently Sinn Fein would have the right to nominate Martin McGuinness as First Minister,...
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Slugger O'Toole (Free subscription) | 15/11/2009
In policy terms observers might have noticed the first glimpse of clear blue water between the two candidates in the SDLP leadership on Inside Politics in an interview with South Belfast MP Alasdair McDonnell. McDonnell said there was a growing body of opinion amongst party supporters arguing the SDLP should not accept being denied the Justice Ministry and instead should pull out of the executive....
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BBC NEWS | The Devenport Diaries (Free subscription) | 12/11/2009
Back in September the former Alliance European candidate, Ian Parsley, suffered some embarrassment when he e-mailed out a "holding statement" related to a newspaper claim that he was about to defect, but forgot to remove another e-mail which confirmed he was already deep in discussions with the Conservatives. Now Mr Parsley's former leader, David Ford, has got himself into another e-mail...
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Slugger O'Toole (Free subscription) | 12/11/2009
As noted in comment yesterday, Fionnuala gives the authentic account of the rise and fall of the SDLP, ending with a threnody of prevailing pessimism about its future. Like her and many others of our generation, I knew all the old gang pretty well but have met only a handful of today's lot, Maginnes, the Attwoods, Hanna, Dallat, Ritchie, McGrady, McDonnell and yes the “hapless”- (unkind and...
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Working Class Tory (Free subscription) | 10/11/2009
Mark Durkan (Foyle) (SDLP): Is he not at least a little bit uncomfortable that on a day when the Prime Minister is off in Berlin, celebrating the end of the Berlin wall, and the end of control and secrecy and all it represented, the Government are trying to put such measures through the House? A question to Jack Straw, Justice Secretary. From the Commons, yesterday - will be published online later...
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Three Thousand Versts of Loneliness (Free subscription) | 05/11/2009
In his News Letter column Alex Kane emphasises the importance of the SDLP leadership contest to prospects of a constructive, workable Northern Ireland Assembly. In stark terms, if the moderate nationalist party cannot recover and challenge Sinn Féin’s ascendancy, then devolved government will continue along current lines, perpetuating a community tug of war which results in stasis. Although...
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Splintered Sunrise (Free subscription) | 31/10/2009
It beats me why anyone would want to be leader of the South Down and Londonderry Party. And yet, incredibly, two people do want it, with both social development minister Margaret Ritchie (South Down) and incumbent deputy leader Alasdair McDonnell (South Belfast) now having declared themselves. What’s even odder, as Brian Feeney points out in [...]
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Three Thousand Versts of Loneliness (Free subscription) | 29/10/2009
We’ve had Ian McCrea’s campaign to prevent the Pope visiting Northern Ireland, Iris Robinson’s hate-filled remarks about homosexuals, Sammy Wilson’s climate change denial , Edwin Poots et al with their five thousand year old Earth and Jim Wells versus wifi . But if anyone still harbours a suspicion that the DUP might be remotely connected, by even the flimsiest thread, to the...
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Slugger O'Toole (Free subscription) | 29/10/2009
Although we risk getting snowed under with posts about parading, this latest overview is worth another entry. In last night's Commons debate the linkage between devolving justice and policing and a new parades regime has never been put more clearly by Peter Robinson. I recommend reading it in full. Devolution will not take place unless or until the final Ashdown report is approved. There's still no...
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Slugger O'Toole (Free subscription) | 27/10/2009
Alasdair McDonnell formally entered the race to succeed Mark Durkan today at an event with party members in Belfast. He is up against Margaret Ritchie. Both sides are claiming strong support from within the Assembly team. McDonnell was joined by Mid Ulster MLA Patsy McGlone at his event this morning. Margaret announced her intention to stand flanked by several party MLAs just over a week ago. The final...
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Top Stories: BreakingNews.ie (Free subscription) | 27/10/2009
The SDLP is set to hold a leadership contest for the first time in its history after a second candidate threw his hat in the ring today.
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Belfast Telegraph (Free subscription) | 27/10/2009
The SDLP is set to hold a leadership contest for the first time in its history after a second candidate threw his hat in the ring today.
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