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Ritchie rejects Adams’ offer of sectarian pact

SDLP leader Margaret Ritchie MLA has rejected an offer from Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams for a sectarian pact in the forthcoming election.

Tue 13th April

Below is the text of her letter of rejection:

Dear Gerry

I refer to your letter (delivered yesterday afternoon) requesting a meeting to discuss cooperation between our Parties in the upcoming General Election. I was disappointed to receive such an approach given the fact that both of our Parties have roundly condemned as sectarian/tribal, the recent unionist electoral pact in this election.

It is my strong view that this election must be about a positive future, about fulfilling the hopes of our people and shaping politics to deliver on the needs of the community. The actions of all parties should be judged against these standards. In doing so, no-one should cling to the failed politics of the past.

That is why it was important that, only last week, the SDLP, your own party and others took a strong stand against a Unionist electoral pact. I believe that both my party and yours described the pact as ‘sectarian’. I believe it is important now to be principled and consistent. Co-operation between our parties or an electoral pact – whatever description you choose – would put my party and yours in precisely the same place as the DUP and UU/Tories.

Yesterday afternoon in the Assembly, Martin McGuinness spoke about the Sharing and Integration strategy delivering for the entire community. Yesterday evening you wrote to me about electoral co-operation. I find there is a tension between the view of Sinn Fein in the afternoon and the view at teatime. I believe that you cannot build a Shared Future on the basis of narrow, sectarian electoral pacts. It is wrong for unionism – it is wrong for us. The SDLP is committed to offering positive leadership on the issues that matter to people building equality and a truly Shared Future.

Therefore the SDLP will not be entering any electoral pact with your Party.

In any event, your letter on nationalist unity contradicts your party’s recent and past actions.

Yesterday, we saw the result of your concession, to the DUP, of a veto against nationalists in the appointment of a Justice Minister. Your Party has acted with unionism to deny nationalists an extra seat at the Executive table to which they were entitled through the Good Friday Agreement, the democratic will of the people of Ireland. Nationalists are now under-represented in Government, courtesy of Sinn Fein.

You negotiated (also privately with the DUP) a set of boundaries for the new 11 Councils which has the net effect of transferring around 100,000 citizens into councils with an inbuilt unionist majority.

You hold to abstentionism at Westminster. Nationalists are predominant in areas of greatest multiple deprivation, including constituencies where Sinn Fein hold Westminster seats. At a time when we are facing cutbacks and the possibility of a hung or tight Parliament it is even more crucial that our communities are represented fully. Abstentionism works to the disadvantage of people in need.

It is not credible to ask the SDLP to co-operate in such an approach.

We are in an economic crisis and people and businesses are finding it very difficult to get by. I honestly believe they want politicians to get away from the old adversarial sectarian politics – and in particular to concentrate on jobs and the economy. That is what the SDLP will be doing.

We will not be doing any electoral deal with Sinn Fein or any other Party. We are of course prepared to meet with your Party, or any other Party, so we can discuss face-to-face delivering for people at Westminster, how we can do more on jobs and the Economy, and how we can build a Shared Future.

Sincerely

Margaret Ritchie