IN the event of a cessation of IRA violence, an electoral pact could be worked out between Sinn Fein and the SDLP, Mr John Hume said in an article in the Sunday Independent yesterday. However, he also called for Sinn Fein to end its policy of abstentionism at Westminster.
The leader of the SDLP said a complete end to violence could lead to both parties discussing all issues "reasonably and logically". They could work to end "the misrepresentation of constituencies by Unionist MPs, while at the same time optimising representation of the nationalist community". He said violence did not constitute the basis for a viable political strategy.
Commentators speculating about the possibility of electoral pacts between both parties had missed the main point, he said, which was the "gross unfairness" of the British electoral system.
"Since the foundation of the Northern Ireland State the nationalist community in Northern Ireland has been consistently under represented at Westminster. In fact, whole decades have gone by in the past in which not a single nationalist voice was heard in the House of Commons."
The "first past the post system" was completely unsuited to the circumstances of Northern Ireland. The distortion of British policy towards Northern Ireland, because of the gross over representation of unionism at Westminster, was the most compelling argument for achieving the fullest possible nationalist representation there, he said.
The importance of these considerations would call into question the motivation of those who sought to have constituencies represented by abstentionists, or by "agreed candidates" of no clear political views or commitments.
What exactly is the motivation of those who insist on fighting for seats in a parliament they do not recognise seats which they would refuse to take if they won them?" He asked how Sinn Fein's policy of neutralising representation, rather than maximising it, fitted into a strategy of seeking a negotiated settlement through the democratic political process.
"Is their real target unionism, or is it the SDLP - and if it is the latter, how does that fit into their expressed desire for a consensus among Irish nationalists?"
There was a strong feeling within the SDLP that it had behaved honourably towards the republican movement, he said.
It was "entitled to expect Sinn Fein to deal reasonably and responsibly with the issue in the light of the greater national interest. I believe that we are entitled to ask them to consider carefully the questions I have posed," he said.