Speech by Alex Attwood MLA European Candidate at SDLP Annual Party Conference introducing Party Leader Dr. Alasdair McDonnell MP MLA SERVANTS OF IRISH DEMOCRACY Conference, I wish to speak briefly to you today about Irish Democracy and the men and women of this party. First Eddie McGrady who is not with us today. We acknowledge and applaud you. And our Councillors, now stepping down from Council and public life - the Bobby Loughrans, the Gerry McLaughlins, the John Tierneys, the Sean O’Hares, the Kate Lagans. All great servants of Irish Democracy. There were tireless, fearless, relentless in their defence of Irish Democracy. We need to be again. THE NEW ASCENDENCY Once before, democratic nationalism, the SDLP and others gathered to face the old unionist Ascendency. We organized, campaigned, went to the people. Together, we embarked on a long democratic struggle, to ‘sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance’. We prevailed. It is incomprehensible, but we again face an Ascendency. Again, it is unionism with a green fringe. Mostly DUP, partly Sinn Fein. Together the ‘twin thieves of political integrity’. The new Ascendency exhibits all the hallmarks of the old. Take power to themselves. Looking after themselves. Party interests over Peoples Interests. Our response: is to be tireless, fearless, relentless in defence of Irish Democracy. Our means: organise, campaigning, go to the people and, together, face the new Ascendancy. That is the measure of our time. That is the character of the challenge. We prevailed before. We will prevail again. DEEP ACCOMMODATION AND PARTNERSHIP Conference, years ago John Hume changed the political language of Irish Democracy. In one phase, politics pivoted and everything changed. His language was that of accommodation between the traditions. We hold to the politics of partnership and accommodation. Not the mangled distorted version that resides up in Stormont Castle. But a deep accommodation, a deep partnership with unionism. We do not resile from that. We say we need to urgently push on with that. We say to unionism – not those who dishonour that tradition up on Twaddell Avenue or too often on the DUP front and back benches at Stormont. But those who held unambiguously to democracy, who grew to cherish political accommodation. Join us again on this enterprise. Join us again rebuilding hope and ambition for all our people. DISILLUSIONMENT We say to what I awkwardly call, middle unionism. We understand your disillusionment. We know how alienating it is when past terror is relentlessly legitimized. We also know that even in our own actions, we have contributed to that disillusionment. But we say again. Join us again on this enterprise. Join us again rebuilding hope and ambition for all our people. PAIN AND WISDOM These last weeks I have been reminded of the words of the ancient Greek Aeschylus: “In our sleep, pain which cannot forget falls, drop by drop upon the heart until, in our own despair, against our will, comes wisdom through the awful grace of God”. We have heard the pain and wisdom these last weeks. From the families of the Disappeared to the families suffering the wrath of collusion, from Shankill to Greysteel and all places in between. Let their voices be heard. Let addressing the Past on a comprehensive and ethical basis be the first measure - the first measure - of the Haass/O’Sullivan Talks and the measure of Irish democracy. Let parties, governments, terror groups, state agencies be judged first against this measure. Let progress in the Talks be made first and foremost against this measure. Let no one – party or government or other - be found wanting. WHO SPEAKS FOR IRISH DEMOCRACY The voices of pain and wisdom stand in sharp contrast to the voices of others this week. The voice of perverse politics that told us the IRA could have killed thousands – as if we should thank him and the IRA that they did not. The voice of deep dishonesty that told us that bombs – warning or not – on streets and pubs and war memorials were huge mistakes rather than the IRA taking their terror to the civilian people of these islands. The Sinn Fein leadership and party – one and all – showed this week how detached they are from the scale and pain of the last decades. But I do not believe that it is true for those who vote Sinn Fein. I cannot believe that they believe that denial, cover up and self regard are their standards? I ask – do the voices of denial truly speak for you and your view of Irish Democracy? COMPREHENSIVE SOLUTIONS A new word is entering the Irish political dictionary. The word “pivot”. It is not my word. It is the word of Richard Haass as to who has told the parties that when he returns to Northern Ireland in ten days time, he wants the Talks to pivot. He is right to do so. But in doing so, let the outcome be comprehensive solutions not partial fixes. Let us not see again hopes dashed and ambitions squandered. HOPE AND AMBITION The word “pivot” means “the central point at which a mechanism turns, revolves or rotates”. We believe that this is what politics and people must. That is what we invite politics and people to do. We call out that hopes are not again dashed and ambition is not again squandered. Let hope and ambition ring out. Let hope and ambition be the standards of the party and of Irish Democracy. Let hope and ambition prevail.
Posted on: Mon, 11 Nov 2013 10:06:54 +0000