Margaret Ritche Elected New SDLP Leader

[Seosamh]

http://seosamhsonar.blogspot.com/2010/02/margaret-ritchie-elected-sdlp-party.html

In the first contested election for party leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party, Margaret Ritchie, Minister for Social Development in the Northern Ireland Assembly, defeated the Deputy leader of the party, MLA, and Member of the Westminster Parliament, Alasdair McDonnell, at the party conference last Sunday.

Previous leaders of the party, Gerry Fitt, John Hume, and Mark Durkan, were elected unopposed. Durkan announced his resignation as party leader last autumn.

The new deputy leader of the party is Mid Ulster MLA, Patsy McGlone.

At a press conference in the Stormont Assembly yesterday, Ritchie hit the ground running with an announcement that she has withdrawn as the party nominee for the position of Justice Minister. Sinn Féin and the Democratic Unionist Party have been in discussions with Alliance Party leader David Ford to assume the justice ministry, while the SDLP has insisted that the position should automatically be theirs under the De Hondt system, adopted by the Assembly for selecting ministerial positions.

The new SDLP nominee for the post will be North Belfast MLA, Alban Maginness, a barrister by profession, who in In 1997, made history by becoming the first Nationalist Lord Mayor of Belfast.

With the SDLP being eclipsed by Sinn Féin in the last election as the largest nationalist party, the new leader will have her work cut out to reinvigorate the party faithful for the upcoming Westminster elections, and Assembly elections next year. Added to the woes of the SDLP is the organization of Fianna Fáil Forums in the six counties. Three of the six counties, Armagh, Down, and Fermanagh, have established groups, with the three remaining counties expected to follow by mid-summer.

Ritchie has however ruled out any merger with Fianna Fáil. While on the campaign trail for party leader she has stated that she opposed any such moves. Amalgamation she said, would mean Emasculation.

[armaghniac]

Amalgamation she said, would mean Emasculation.

Not for her personally, of course.

[A Quinn Martin Production]

Did anyone see her on Question Time last night??  Awful...

[Doogie Browser]

Did anyone see her on Question Time last night??  Awful...

She was reading from the John Hume book of soundbites all night.  Jees but Jim Allister took some hammering from the panel and the audience, at least Nick Griffin had a smattering of applause.

[T Fearon]

Opinion poll in to-day's Belfast Telegraph puts the combined SDLP/ Sinn Fein percentage at 1 above that of the combined UUP/DUP. Allister's TUV commands 6% only

[Nally Stand]

Gap closing

[A Quinn Martin Production]

Did anyone see her on Question Time last night??  Awful...

She was reading from the John Hume book of soundbites all night.  Jees but Jim Allister took some hammering from the panel and the audience, at least Nick Griffin had a smattering of applause.

Yes Allister got a rough ride but looking at the audience they didn't seem the typical Traditional Allister Voter demographic?  Glad to see they all treated Trimble's membership of the Athanaeum Club at taxpayers' expense as a bit of a laugh!

[T Fearon]

A lot of electioneering going on there last night, and you could see deliberate attempts to score points, at home and in the United Kingdom. Trimble (Tories hat) Versus Woodward (Labour), Wilson (DUP) versus Allister (TUV), Wilson (DUP) and Trimble (UUP Hat).However surprisingly no real spat between Ritchie (SDLP) and Kelly (Sinn Fein).

Sadly there will always be that hard line core of Orange bigots, who will deliver a significant enough vote to give Allister 4 or 5 Assembly seats, enough to have an influence on the DUP, but not enough to give him power overall, and this is exactly what he wants.

[johnneycool]

A lot of electioneering going on there last night, and you could see deliberate attempts to score points, at home and in the United Kingdom. Trimble (Tories hat) Versus Woodward (Labour), Wilson (DUP) versus Allister (TUV), Wilson (DUP) and Trimble (UUP Hat).However surprisingly no real spat between Ritchie (SDLP) and Kelly (Sinn Fein).

Sadly there will always be that hard line core of Orange bigots, who will deliver a significant enough vote to give Allister 4 or 5 Assembly seats, enough to have an influence on the DUP, but not enough to give him power overall, and this is exactly what he wants.

I thought it was very noticeable that Trimble talked more about David Cameron than he did about Reg Empy. Is he disowning the UUP now?

[A Quinn Martin Production]

A lot of electioneering going on there last night, and you could see deliberate attempts to score points, at home and in the United Kingdom. Trimble (Tories hat) Versus Woodward (Labour), Wilson (DUP) versus Allister (TUV), Wilson (DUP) and Trimble (UUP Hat).However surprisingly no real spat between Ritchie (SDLP) and Kelly (Sinn Fein).

Sadly there will always be that hard line core of Orange bigots, who will deliver a significant enough vote to give Allister 4 or 5 Assembly seats, enough to have an influence on the DUP, but not enough to give him power overall, and this is exactly what he wants.

I thought it was very noticeable that Trimble talked more about David Cameron than he did about Reg Empy. Is he disowning the UUP now?

Trimble is now based in London and he sits as a Conservative in the House of Lords...

[DownFanatic]

Ritchie just throws every political buzz word she can think of in to each of her answers. That voice of hers really annoys me.

Allister pretty much got destroyed from all corners. Trimble couldn't shut up about the Tories. I thought Gerry Kelly handled himself well as did Woodward. Sammy Wilson seems good craic although his responses to questions go off on serious tangents.

[ziggysego]

Ritchie just throws every political buzz word she can think of in to each of her answers. That voice of hers really annoys me.

Allister pretty much got destroyed from all corners. Trimble couldn't shut up about the Tories. I thought Gerry Kelly handled himself well as did Woodward. Sammy Wilson seems good craic although his responses to questions go off on serious tangents.

Agree with everything you said there. I actually like Sammy, he's funny.

As for Ritchie. Why does she insist on emphasising every word? Defeats the purpose doesn't it?

[T Fearon]

Sammy has come out with some good ones over the years. It was him that christened Enoch Powell (in his days with the UUP) as the "Wolverhampton Wanderer!" .

[stew]

Ritchie just throws every political buzz word she can think of in to each of her answers. That voice of hers really annoys me.

Allister pretty much got destroyed from all corners. Trimble couldn't shut up about the Tories. I thought Gerry Kelly handled himself well as did Woodward. Sammy Wilson seems good craic although his responses to questions go off on serious tangents.

Agree with everything you said there. I actually like Sammy, he's funny.

As for Ritchie. Why does she insist on emphasising every word? Defeats the purpose doesn't it?

Her husband Lionel cant slow down he is so excited at the news.

I'll get me coat.

[Maguire01]

Gap closing

On the basis of a poll of 1080 people.
I wouldn't read too much into it.