THEY SAY A week is a long time in politics, an adage that rings true in the North as two prominent political party leaders called time on their tenure within days of one another.
Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) leader Doug Beattie MLA announced his resignation, and before the news cycle could even move on, the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) leader Colum Eastwood MP followed suit.
The step change represents a recalibration of Northern politics, one that intertwines the fates of both the SDLP and UUP. This isn’t just a leadership contest, it’s a salvage hunt.
The SDLP and UUP were the architects of the Good Friday Agreement, however, the two parties have struggled to find a foothold in a more peaceful political landscape.
The UUP dominated Northern politics for over five decades and long outstripped any of their rivals, that is until the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) created its unique selling point (USP) as a political home for those fearful of power sharing and, in large part, equality.
At its peak the SDLP commanded over 70 per cent of the nationalist vote share, that figure has since been inherited by its competitor Sinn Féin. The UUP and SDLP were once the voices of nationalism and unionism; now they are increasingly irrelevant.
Doug Beattie was elected party leader in 2021 and now joins the ranks of his four other colleagues who have tried their hand since 2010. His successor will be the sixth UUP leader since 2012. In that time, the party’s electoral success has not improved. Beatie’s biggest losses were at a council level; 21 seats down in 2023. One might have expected a bounce for the ‘union of people’ leader following a gain in the Westminster election in July, but internal party dissent spoiled any such chance.
Colum Eastwood fought and won the SDLP leadership contest in 2015, stating that he was “tired of losing”. Unfortunately for the party, that’s exactly what continued to happen under his leadership. Throughout Eastwood’s nine-year term, the SDLP vote share shrunk to just nine per cent. The party consistently polls at just seven per cent. There were bright spots; gaining the Westminster seats in Foyle and South Belfast, and successfully defending the seats earlier this year, but the Eastwood-era saw the party losing 27 council seats, six MLAs, and an MP.
Their leadership tenures are not comparable, but the problems for their respective parties are. Both the SDLP and UUP have lost their USPs. The SDLP was the party of non-violence – now that there is no violence, the party has lost its relevance. The UUP was the voice of unionism, but the DUP wears that coat now. Both parties lack a vision or a purpose.
The SDLP and UUP helped deliver Northern Ireland’s mandatory power-sharing agreement, but that very same agreement is now working against them. Members elected to the Northern Ireland Assembly must designate as unionist, nationalist or other, with the largest of each of the two community parties appointed to the office of First Minister and Deputy First Minister.
When the fortunes of the UUP and SDLP began to turn, voters rolled in behind their rivals to keep ‘themmuns’ out. Rather than deliver reconciliation, mandatory power sharing has cultivated fertile soil for further division, leaving little room for a centre ground.
The UUP will elect a new leader at an extraordinary general meeting on 14 September. Former leader Mike Nesbitt MLA is expected to be the front-runner, it remains to be seen whether he will face any contest. Nesbitt led the party for five years (2012-2017) and has remained loyal in the years since. A former broadcaster, he is well capable of selling a compelling narrative. However, it will take much more than a change in leadership to resuscitate the UUP. Sitting in a four-party executive, alongside their much larger rival, and with just one Minister, serves little purpose. The UUP must differentiate itself from the DUP; to do so Nesbitt should take the party into opposition.
The new leader of the SDLP will be elected at the party conference on 5 October; it will inevitably be a coronation for Claire Hanna MP, the Galway-girl has built a formidable political profile. She has the potential to be a reformer, but the task ahead requires a complete overhaul of the SDLP machine. The party’s Chief Executive Officer also left his post last week. Can Hanna restructure, and ultimately repurpose the party?
From the messages on social media, one would think Eastwood and Beattie were leaving politics, but both will remain in their elected roles. Beattie is set to support the new leadership, while Eastwood has suggested he will place his energy in the party’s lacklustre New Ireland Commission.
New leadership presents a new opportunity, but both the SDLP and UUP are in a struggle for survival; the parties must prove their relevance and worth to the electorate to win back votes, but it could prove to be a losing battle. In Northern Ireland’s post-Good Friday Agreement era, there just might not be enough room on the board for multiple players.
Emma DeSouza is a writer and campaigner.
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