SDLP leader Margaret Ritchie discusses her plans for the future of the party and progressive politics in Northern Ireland ahead of the 2011 Assembly elections.
Margaret Ritchie MP MLA is the leader of the SDLP; this article was written before the current Northern Ireland water crisis
Nowhere has the term ‘progress’ been more relevant than in the North of Ireland and we need only look to our very recent history to see just how far we have travelled. However, we should not think of progressivism as being something inherently new as I am the direct political descendent of a long line of nationalist politicians from O’Connell and Parnell to our own John Hume, who were progressive before it was popular to be labelled as such.
At a time when the phrase progressive is bandied about across the political spectrum we must be careful that it does not lose all meaning and recognise that truly progressive politics – the driving force behind social change and peace on the island – faces serious challenges as we head towards the Assembly elections in May.
We must ensure that in the wake of the cuts to the Assembly budget that progressive politics does not take a back seat to the sectarian politics that so blighted the past.
Given the current circumstances our highest priority going in to the next election must be the economy. It is critical that such substantive issues are at the centre of the 2011 election campaign rather than tribal posturing over roles in the Executive.
In stark contrast to our opponents, our party’s progressive nationalism manifests itself in our outlook on the economy – unlike others we have never been scared to talk about the economy. We want to see growth, job creation, and restore the entrepreneurial spirit that our people have shown in the past and will do again.
We see this as part of an all-island, high tech, high value-added economy. But in growing our private sector we must also protect our public services which are increasingly coming under threat from the terrible decisions made by the coalition government in Westminster and by the DUP and Sinn Fein in the Executive. We want to protect vital frontline services and vulnerable households while stimulating the economy with a focus on job creation.
The DUP and Sinn Fein have been afraid to take the difficult decisions necessary and completely failed to respond to the economic downturn. In contrast we have just launched our own £4bn budget plan to protect vital public services, create jobs and remove the fear of unemployment.
The SDLP believes that we should not settle for the substantially reduced budget imposed by the recent Comprehensive Spending Review. Here in the North we can do more than simply allocate a much reduced budget. As we move into 2011 through a combination of efficiency savings, new revenue streams and generation of capital receipts, our proposals narrow the budget shortfall and give us additional resources we can spend where it is most needed.
As a social democratic party we want to see all of the sectoral interests in society – government, business, trade unions, the community and voluntary sector, and wider civic society – entering into a contract on negotiated economic and social outcomes. The necessary changes within our public sector, including pay restraint and a reassessment of senior salaries, will have consequences for the relationship between politicians and public sector workers.
We can see clearly from recent events in England the damage that is done and the social upheaval that is caused when politicians are seen as riding roughshod over the people they are elected to represent. Therefore we believe that it is vital that any changes must be conducted with care and cannot be something that is simply forced upon the public who are left to suffer the consequences.
This approach to the economy is an extension of our party’s fundamental belief in inclusion rather than division. It is certain that further division in our society will bring us no closer to the united Ireland we are ultimately striving for. Unlike Sinn Fein, the SDLP are a democratically controlled party that believe in a completely non-sectarian progressive nationalism.
As I said at our recent party conference:
“Our opponents are not progressive. They are chained to the past, resentful in the present and offer little hope for the future.”
By contrast our fundamental instinct is to look forward to the 2011 Assembly election with hope and optimism – and to progress on a path that allows everyone to move on.
15 Responses to “SDLP: Our progressive vision of an all-island, high tech economy”
SlashedUK
RT @leftfootfwd: SDLP: Our progressive vision of an all-island, high tech economy: http://bit.ly/icjKOC by @MargaretRitchie
Patrick Devlin
Coming from ‘the North’ I began to read this article with interest and after reading it I’m none the wiser! What is a ‘high tech’ economy? Surely Ireland is best placed to grow an economy on what it does best, food. Farming, sustainable, economical and enviro friendly farming. A good clean food processing sector and exports with profits going directly to the people. Build your high tech economy then; on this solid foundation. We in Ireland need to stop living in a pipe dream there is no quick fix to the state control economy we live under; and you in the SDLP need more than this (above)if you are to survive. Each utterance from your party has the tagline ‘we’re not the shinners’. You may be a descendent of John Hume, but your the ‘tiny tim’ of the family. Voters want drive and passion, things lacking in the party as evidenced by this article.
Éoin Clarke
Margaret,
There is quite a lot to quibble with in that short piece, which is unfortunate since I wish your efforts all the very best…
If one wishes to be progressive, it is unhealthy and uniwse to be drawing historical paralells with past leaders as far back as 190 years ago. As an Irishman permit me to say so, but it is a very tired and unhelpful mode of generating a party brand, since inevitably you come into competition with others who claim the same lineage. For example, did you know that Daniel O’Connell was opposed to Trade Unions? Did you know he abhorred Socialism? Be careful to claim the mantle of such people… I could go further and point out his anti-feminist stance on many issues but I will not bore others…
More importantly, regarding the detail of the SDLP proposals to deal with the looming cuts, I applaud you for being fairly constructive and imaginative in trying to generate your own ideas. You should point out to your UK readers your party’s longstanding support for a low tax economy. It is wrong to score points by saying other parties have not come up with their own solutions to the cuts. As you well know other parties have detailed some interesting taxation ideas to help offset some of the cuts. [taxing mobile phone masts for example]
Other that this, a reasonable piece. Good luck 🙂
Paul Hagan
Sorry to use a long word but there is nothing progressive about your kind or any other kind of ethnonationailsm, or as we say in “the North of Ireland” tribalism. The SDLP is, and remains, a party who expresses the hopes and dreams of only one section of the community in the province, only one of its tribes, and ultimatley part of the secterian architecture in Ulster. Not being Sinn Fein might shed you some of heavier historical baggage but that doesn’t make you progressive. Margaret Ritchie said in the run-up last general election that the SDLP would ‘work with any party’ and not show in favour in deciding who to form a coalition with should her MPs be called-on in a hung parlaiment, be it Tory, Labour or Lib Dem. Surely this must now end the fiction that the SDLP are anything like a sister party of Labour and question thier alignment with Irish Labour and the Party of European Socialists. Perhaps progressives, lefties and liberals in Northern Ireland should take this as an opportunity to build a left-wing anti-secterain alternative to the politics of the past. If the SDLP had not been so eclipsed by Sinn Fein in the contest for the nationalist/Catholic vote over the past decade then it would be them making the cuts that Margaret Ritchie is decrying here.
This might be an appropriate point to ass that I find it continually frustrating how politicians of every shade (and I mean every shade) bandy the word ‘progressive’ around. Everyone claims to be ‘progressive’ these days – and of course they would, no politician in their right mind would stand up and say “on the whole folks -I’m not in favour of Progress” to see Irish nationalists (or any ethno-nationalist group) label their side progressive (and by implication suggest the other is not) really shows that word is in serious danger of losing all meaning. To defend her boats of being uniquely progressive Margaret Ritchie claims:
“Our opponents are not progressive. They are chained to the past” Is that all you can offer Margaret in your claim to being progressive? -not being “chained to the past”? Then why did you open this article with a reference to 19th century Irish nationalist heroes Daniel O’Connel and Parnell? Hardly the kind of inclusive future you talk about. Hardly Progressive, though you are still better than the Shinners.
Historically the Northern Ireland party using the word ‘progressive’ was the militantly-unionist Vanguard party in 1970s, which suggesting one should always be careful when ascribing that label. Perhaps it should be linked to the promulgation of an anti-secterian agenda which seeks not the furtherment of one side over the other.
Éoin Clarke
Patrick,
In fairness to the SDLP, and I am no fan, they were passionate about peace, and justice since their birth. I find the SDLP almost centrist, and I often wonder about their red posturings, but they still deserve respect for the role they continue to play in ensuring peace.