Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
THE SOCIAL DEMOCRATIC and Labour Party (SDLP) has today signalled its intention to form an official opposition ahead of the recalled Northern Ireland Assembly.
The Assembly is to be recalled tomorrow in a bid to elect a new Speaker and take action on the cost of living crisis. It will be the third time members have been recalled since the May election.
Elected parties have yet to form an Executive since the election and SDLP Leader Colum Eastwood MP has written to the Speaker about the party’s intention to form an official opposition.
The SDLP leader said that the party will form “an opposition to the politics of division, deadlock and failure” which he said has seen the devolved institutions frozen while families across Northern Ireland are hit again and again by soaring energy bills.
Eastwood has also formally nominated South Belfast MLA Matthew O’Toole as Leader of the Opposition.
“More than two months after people were promised change in May’s Assembly election we still have no new Executive, no new schemes to address soaring energy bills, no new ideas to get the show back on the road,” Eastwood said.
“Despite big promises made to get money into people’s pockets and to address the real challenges families are facing, we’ve got more of the same failure that came before.”
He said his party had already provided strong opposition to the Tory/DUP axis at Westminster and now it will provide a “constructive alternative to the politics of division, deadlock and failure that has gripped this place for far too long”.
“We will provide a new kind of politics that addresses the problems facing parents and families across our communities,” he said.
Eastwood said ministers and politicians taking home full salaries “cannot be allowed to hide or fail to account for their decisions while families and businesses across the North struggle to make ends meet”.
“It doesn’t matter who you are, what your background, or where you live, people are being badly let down across our communities and it needs to come to an end,” he said.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
If they’re not working stop their salaries – that should soften their cough…..
@Nora McElhinney: Stop taking ur seats in a foreign country shame on u all
amazing that life continues as normal without a sitting executive….
Obviously the world could cope just fine with way less politicians….
Basically it’s a strike and striker,s don’t get paid while on strike as far as I know just a few pounds from the union
@FlopFlipU: But only one party is on strike, while the others continue to show up for work. Interesting how a new poll in todays Belfast Telegraph has found both SF and Alliance, and the Greens support up, with all unionist party support down.
It found that in the event of a new election, (which will have to happen if the DUP continue to boycott) SF will come in first again with support of over 30%, with the DUP dipping below 20%. Jeffrey and the DUP might do well to reconsider their approach before their supports continues to drop – Because at this rate they will even lose out on the Deputy First Minister position.
@Angela McCarthy: that cannot happen without changes to GFA. Even if Alliance party continue to increase, as a non designated party they don’t factor into cross party agreements.
@M Bowe: * cross community agreements/ safe guards.
@M Bowe: Thats not the point – if the Alliance out-poll the DUP, it will further damage their credibility and prestige within the unionist community, even if they take the Deputy position. The DUP and unionism overall can definitely do without such a scenario in the face of a coming border poll.
only the DUP can change that, but sure they know best!
It’s a bad Situation
have your say