McDonnell makes final Deputy Leader speech

Speaking during his final address as SDLP Deputy Leader, Dr Alasdair McDonnell MP said:

Fri 5th February

"Thank you friends

 

You will have heard today that we’ve got a deal.

After 11 days we finally got a deal.

It’s a bit enthusiastic to call it an Agreement

but it’s probably as good as we could get in all the circumstances.  

But friends, it leaves us with many unanswered questions and many potential pit falls.

 

The fundamental question is whether the DUP & SF can now get beyond their mutual begrudgery,

 

Whether there is enough trust and respect to allow them to

get beyond their mutual political grudge match and rise to a higher level –

rise to the point where they can put the bread and butter needs of ordinary people ahead of their own petty party political needs.

 

You know just as well as me, that we have been here before and I earnestly hope, without a lot of confidence,

that we will never have to go back here again.

We cannot afford another high noon, another standoff.

Far too much time and political energy has been wasted on minute negotiation on issues that could be confronted and should have been overcome in any other society without all the Mexican standoffs and games of Russian roulette.

 

Hopefully Policing and Justice can now be devolved on 12^th April without any further delay and hopefully a functional system to administer Policing and justice can be built.

But the path will be fraught with difficulties and there will always be a stigma attached to this process precisely because the DUP and SF have agreed to erode much of the principles of equity and fairness hard fought for and embedded in the Good Friday Agreement.

 

They have abandoned the d’Honte process which guarantees fairness and inclusion according to mandate.

And they have produced a relatively bizarre appointment process with which we cannot, and will not, agree!

 

I still remain deeply concerned and have no real confidence in SF and the DUP’s ability to get the Executive working again and producing results for you and me and the people we represent.

The Executive is totally dysfunctional and will require a massive personality transformation if the DUP Ministers and Sinn Fein Ministers are to do all that is necessary to create a normal business process.

 

There have been moves in this deal to make gestures towards inclusiveness.

Only time will tell whether they are genuine or sincere.

Friends, there is a lot to worry about – a lot to be anxious about – a lot to be digested and a lot still to be proven.

 

We in the SDLP are glad that SF and the DUP have got beyond the high noon standoff where the public need and the genuine public interest have been hold hostage for far too long.  

 

 

Because, while both parties were hiding up in Hillsborough for weeks trying to do side deals, in one day 400 workers in Avaya in Newtownabbey and Hughes Christensen in East Belfast lost their livelihoods.

 

The reality is that everyday

more and more men and women are forced to join ever lengthening dole queues,

• families are left struggling to pay bills,
• the health service budget is being cut to ribbons and
• the education crisis rumbles on with no solution in sight.

These are the issues that matter to people.

These are the issues people want their paid politicians to focus on.

 

 

While we aspire to a high tech high value added economy in the long term, in the short term we must look to the construction industry and the various associated support and service industries to give us some degree of economic lift off.

 

It is deeply disappointing that most of the major government contracts in the pipe line have been frozen and

while there is much we could say about housing and the need for more and better accommodation,

there is an even bigger need for new school buildings, new hospitals and new roads.

 

We must urgently bring forward infrastructure projects to ensure we keep building towards to the kind of society we want for our children and our grandchildren.

 

People centred politics is exactly what the SDLP is all about. 

And it is proven time and time again, whether in the Assembly or in our councils, that when the SDLP is strong, politics delivers for people on the issues that matter to them.

 

Helping people,

helping to create a better society is what motivates me at heart and I know it is what motivates you.

I know this because over the past number of months, I have been in every town land in Northern Ireland.

I have spoken with branches, councillors, individual members and entire families and I know your hunger to restore our Party to its rightful place as the party that delivers for people on the bread and butter issues that matter and as the leading force for Irish nationalism. 

 

Friends, this is an emotional and very proud evening for me as I address you for the last time at conference in this role of Deputy Leader and go forward seeking support for the position of leader of the SDLP.

I’m extremely proud to have been Deputy Leader of this great party.

I have honoured and fulfilled my commitment to you.

 

But it is important to promote and encourage change.

It’s important that we bring the concept of power sharing that we espouse publicly into the private workings of this Party.

And I couldn’t be handing the mantle over to a more capable party member and friend, than our formidable MLA for Mid Ulster Patsy McGlone. 

 

I also want take this opportunity to pay tribute to Mark for his outstanding contribution to the politics of this island over the past 15 years.

We in the party, and in the public, will be forever indebted to him for the work he has done.

And I earnestly hope that he will continue to play a key role in the leadership of the Party going forward.

 

Margaret, Mark and myself had a brief discussion this morning on the back of the Hillsborough deal and the challenges we face.

It is important that no gaps are left as we enter this period of transition within the party and change on the political landscape.

 

Friends, I want to thank you for all the support and encouragement you have given me over the past 5 years in my role as Deputy Leader and

1. hope that going forward we can build on that support and deliver renewed success for the SDLP and our voters."   

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