The “status quo is limiting us” and a new, united Ireland will “create a fairer, more prosperous society with reconciliation at its heart,” the new SDLP leader, Claire Hanna, has told her party’s conference in Belfast.
Delivering her first speech as leader, the MP for South Belfast outlined her belief that “New Ireland is a social democratic pathway to a better system” and her commitment to growing the SDLP.
A functioning devolved government at Stormont, she said, “is important, but that isn’t the limit of this party’s ambition. We’ll do everything we can to make Stormont work, but we refuse to believe that that’s as good as it gets”.
Receiving a standing ovation as she took to the stage as leader, delegate after delate emphasised to The Irish Times the “good vibes” and “positivity” in the room towards Ms Hanna, and pointed out the packed room – “more than the UUP conference, more than the DUP conference” – and the age and gender balance of those present.
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“So often conference audiences are full of middle-aged men in grey suits. There’s none of that here,” said one party member.
“There is a lot of goodwill here,” said Jon Tonge, Professor of Politics at the University of Liverpool. “She hasn’t got an enemy in the party, and it’s a long time since the SDLP has been able to say that.
“But is it the Claire Hanna show, or the SDLP show? They will have to marry the two.”
In her speech, the new leader emphasised the importance of “the patient, painstaking work of relationships – in this region, North and South, and between Britain and Ireland” because “the journey will truly shape the destination. How we get there, matters”.
While “a new Ireland isn’t a magic wand,” Ms Hanna said, “it takes us closer to a connected, dynamic economy. It takes us back into Europe, to a society that values the arts, to a progressive foreign policy, to a real say in where we’re going”.
“The evolution and change in the Republic of Ireland in the last two decades has been exhilarating to watch. An economic success, a positive force in the world, a genuine cultural superpower. I want that for everyone here,” she said.
“Change can feel daunting but the principle at its heart is simple and exciting – the people of this region, in all our difference and diversity, coming together to build something new.
“We know that a new Ireland means a new Northern Ireland along the way. It means not waiting for a Border poll to start changing people’s lives. It still means tackling the borders in our minds,” she said.
Ms Hanna acknowledged the electoral challenges faced by the SDLP, saying it had been “a bit stuck” since the Belfast Agreement in 1998, and “we haven’t been clear about who we are, and that allowed others to define the narratives about us.
“Nostalgia is great – if you can get your hands on an Oasis ticket – but it’s no political strategy. We’re rightly proud of our yesterdays, but the SDLP is about today, and tomorrow. From today on, we talk about the future,” she said.
In his last speech as leader before formally standing down, the Foyle MP Colum Eastwood said he was “excited and inspired” by his successor.
Mr Eastwood announced in August he intended to step down at the party conference after nine years in the role, but will remain as an MP and continue his work with the party’s New Ireland Commission.
He also acknowledged the party’s “diminished electoral state” but said that in the move towards constitutional change the SDLP was uniquely placed.
“Which political party can speak to the middle ground? Who has the history, heritage and credibility to convince the undecideds? We can do it because we’ve always been about building a shared home for everyone on this island.”
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