SDLP Youth would like to offer a huge congratulations to Minister Margaret Ritchie on her successful election as SDLP Leader. On February 7th 2010 it was announced that Margaret Ritchie would be the new SDLP Leader.

SDLP Youth endorsed Margaret at a Youth Group meeting very early in her campaign.

SDLP Youth would like to wish Margaret our very best in her leadership and we thoroughly look forward to working with her and Deputy Leader Patsy McGlone.

SDLP Youth will be running a fringe event on the Saturday of the SDLP Annual Conference (Saturday 6^th February) focussing on changing identities in a New Ireland. The Panel consists of Professor Brian Walker QUB, John McCallister MLA UUP and Conall McDevitt MLA SDLP.

Commenting on the event and the future programme of events on this issue that SDLPY will be exploring, SDLPY Chairperson Cllr Matthew McDermott said, ‘It remains the case that politics in the north is changing. People now are living more of a shared future than any time in the past forty years. Young people are now born and growing up without the violence seen in the past.

‘We are working together, living together more, being educated together more, socialising together, sharing and forging friendships together.

‘There is a real sense among our generation that we are further forward than our current politicians, particularly in our ruling parties, the DUP and SF. We are better equipped to deliver a progressive future. Their priorities are not our priorities, as is evident over this past two weeks. They have got their priorities wrong. Ireland is changing, North and South.

SDLP Youth is rolling out a programme of engagement with our young people, and all those who wish to contribute, to identify and understand our priorities in a new Ireland, North and South. We would encourage everyone to join us in defining our new priorities and what politics should mean to us in the future’.

END

Notes:

1)      The first event will be on Saturday 6^th February 2010 in Newcastle, with a panel discussion involving the SDLP and UUP to be followed by a wider Panel Discussion in March, with senior party representatives North and South. This will be followed with an all-party youth forum on the issue of ‘changing priorities’ later in the year.

2)      The purpose of this programme is for young people to identify and define, in different policy areas, their priorities and aims and attempt to set and define the political agenda for the next 30 years in Ireland.

This week SDLP Youth (SDLPY) facilitated a visit to Northern Ireland for Ruban Wagman, a youth officer for the young Swedish Social Democrats. During a week long programme of meetings and events Ruban visited Belfast City Hall, Parliament Buildings at Stormont and visited Social Development Minister Margaret Ritchie.

Commenting SDLPY Chair Matthew McDermott said, ‘ SDLPY is proudly internationalist in outlook and we regularly link up with our sister parties across Europe and wider. We used the opportunity of Ruban’s visit to discuss opportunities to deepen cooperation and forge closer links with the young Swedish Social Democrats and plan wider European initiatives that will have a relevance here at home and in Sweden.

Ruban said, ‘ SDLPY is a very active and vibrant organisation and I got the opportunity to meet many members of the group, as well as members and representatives of SDLP, including Minister Ritchie. She outlined the work she is doing around housing and foster better relations here in Northern Ireland.

‘ We are always seeking to build better relations with our sister parties across Europe and our relationship with SDLPY, which is beneficial to both organisations, will continue to grow.

SDLP Youth invited Social Development Minister, Margaret Ritchie to Queen’s University on Monday 30 November 2009 to speak to students about the work her department is doing in delivering a shared future.

There was a healthy mix of students and young people at the event and the Minister outlined her work to date and her hopes for the future.

Katherine McCloskley, Chair of the Queens SDLP and Vice Chair of SDLPY, said, ‘ It was heartening that the Minister took time to come and talk to us about her vision for a Shared Future. The Minister caught the mood of the room when she said that the public are leaps ahead of the politicians on the need for a shared future. She is right, the public are ahead of our politicians on this, and if the DUP and SF fail to realise that there is a feeling among the public for a shared future, almost organic and innate in nature, then they will suffer the consequences of consistently putting their own party political desires ahead of everything else.

My generation are living a shared future more than any generation in the previous 40 to 50 years; we work, socialise and in many cases study together. So while it is important that government delivers from top down, in terms of shared spaces, legal protections and the like, the people will be building from bottom up on this issue - and our politicians will need to catch up even more.

The Minister outlined a lot of detailed work her department is taking in this area but she got it right when she said it’s such a shame that the two dominant parties can’t look past their own selfish interests and put the needs of the people first, particularly on this fundamentally important issue.

At a meeting of SDLP Youth (SDLPY) on Wednesday 28^th October, SDLPY endorsed Margaret Ritchie as the next leader of SDLP. After much discussion about the candidates and the leadership contest in general, there was an overwhelming endorsement that Margaret Ritchie was the best person to take the party forward.

Commenting after the meeting SDLPY chairperson Cllr Matthew McDermott said, ‘ The youth group appreciate that all young people are vital to politics and the future direction of politics. There is a recognition that young will play a key role in this process and the decision was taken that the group needed to get involved in this process early on and contribute positively to what should be a very good contest.

‘ We have two candidates; our fantastic Minister for Social Development and our deputy leader and a great constituency MP for South Belfast. The merits of both candidates were discussed and their impeccable records over the last thirty years for the party and as representatives was outlined at the meeting.

‘ Margaret Ritchie was deemed to be the best person for the job due to her courage as a Minister standing up to the DUP, SF and the UDA, her dedication and commitment to a shared future and her work to bring the voices of young people to the centre of policy debates where they belong.

END

Dear Members,

As you may already be aware, there has been a last minute change of date for our
meeting due to factors beyond our control.

The general meeting of SDLP Youth will now be held on Wednesday 28 October
at 530pm in SDLP HQ (Ormeau Road).

This is an important meeting for the youth group. As you know, Mark Durkan
is to step down as Party Leader at Conference in February 2010.
Nominations for the post of Party Leader have to be lodged with HQ by 14
November 2009. This meeting shall discuss the view of the youth group on
leadership issues.

Please make every effort to attend.

RSVP to info@sdlpyouth.com
***CONFIRMATION OF YOUR ATTENDANCE IS ESSENTIAL***

Many Thanks,
SDLP YOUTH TEAM

Dear Members,

As you may already be aware, there has been a last minute change of date for our
meeting due to factors beyond our control.

The general meeting of SDLP Youth will now be held on Wednesday 28 October
at 530pm in SDLP HQ (Ormeau Road).

This is an important meeting for the youth group. As you know, Mark Durkan
is to step down as Party Leader at Conference in February 2010.
Nominations for the post of Party Leader have to be lodged with HQ by 14
November 2009. This meeting shall discuss the view of the youth group on
leadership issues.

Please make every effort to attend.

RSVP to info@sdlpyouth.com
***CONFIRMATION OF YOUR ATTENDANCE IS ESSENTIAL***

Many Thanks,
SDLP YOUTH TEAM

This year again, SDLP Youth had a very successful Freshers Fayre at Queen’s University recruiting new members and promoting the party’s unique brand of social democracy and progressive values.

Commenting after the event SDLP Youth Chair Matthew McDermott said, ‘ SDLP Youth at Queen’s had another very successful year. This year it was clearly evident that there is growing dissatisfaction at the inability of both the DUP and SF to deliver anything tangible for young people while in government.

‘Our message today was simple; “enough is enough”, it’s time to take our future into our own hands. The time for the DUP and SF to stop patting themselves on the back, for literally sitting round a table, is well and truly over. The recession is deepening while the cost of living is soaring. Young people of our generation, more than any other, accept that things have got to change - and the chances of this happening while the DUP and SF are in power, are slipping further and further away.

Universities and Colleges representative Connor Daly said, ‘This was a great opportunity for SDLP to engage with young people and we succeeded in recruiting many young interested new members.

‘ SDLP Youth will be carrying out a progressive program of work this year, tackling issues that are important and relevant.

END

The SDLP Lagan Valley is calling on all flags to be taken down within Lisburn Town Centre. The SDLP feel that if the City Council wish to promote “Lisburn - A City for Everyone” then they must earn it and promote a shared public space within Lisburn Town Centre. Every year around this time, in Lisburn Town Centre an Orange Order Arch is erected and the whole town saturated in flags and bunting.

The SDLP  respect the importance of expressing culture and heritage, but these groups cannot be allowed to take over public spaces, in most cases paid for by all the ratepayers, for their own political and sectarian purposes.

SDLP Lagan Valley Sectary and SDLP Youth Member Aisling Twomey said  

“If you ask the majority of people living in, or visiting Lisburn, regardless of their background, they will tell you about the problems around Flags. Residents have contacted me across the boroughs who are concerned by the flying of flags.   The SDLP Lagan Valley feels that no resident should be made to feel uncomfortable in a town or an area that they live in.  We have seen a move by loyalists to mark out new developments in the town; this is totally unacceptable as there are many new residents who don’t claim identity to either community. ”  

However most statutory agencies seem to be impotent to act on this issue. There should be no confusion whatsoever between the general use of flags. All flags that are used in a sectarian way should be removed.  Residents and Rate payers who are opposed to these flags outside their property or on their streets feel intimated to the point where many don’t complain for fear of attack or reprisals.

Ms Twomey continued “ I have been contacted by a gentleman who moved into an area, because he felt that it was a non-sectarian area. This year to his disappointment residents from outside his estate have come in to put up flags outside his property. He feels completely powerless as he was unable to get any action from PSNI.   Where are his rights to have this flag removed from outside of his property?”

Minister for Social Development Margaret Ritchie praised Lisburn in February 2009 and has emphasised importance of a Shared Future for Lisburn . Speaking at the launch of the City Council Masterplan Minister Ritchie said   “Now is the right time to focus on regenerating Lisburn’s City Centre. Lisburn like many other urban centres must review and reinvent itself in the face of changing economic, social and lifestyle trends.”  

The SDLP Lagan Valley echoes the view of the Minister for Social Development and thanks her for her ongoing work and support for the people of Lisburn.   The SDLP Lagan Valley will continue to campaign for removal of all flags within shared space in Lisburn City and will work towards a shared future for all Lisburn City residents . 

SDLP Youth will be attending the annual May Day Parade in Belfast on Saturday 2nd May to coincide with the global call to action for International Labour Day on 1st May. The Parade will gather at 11.30am at St Anne’s Cathedral followed by a march and some entertainment at St George’s Market. All welcome.

As SDLP Youth’s International Secretary I would like to draw your attention to the wider purpose of International Labour Day.

At this time of economic crisis, when people are losing their jobs and employment protections are being rolled back, it is important that workers stand together in solidarity in the face of depreciating social conditions.  

In the North the dominance of public sector employment has until recently somewhat hidden the negative consequences of the economic crisis. However the impacts of the economic crisis are now beginning to be revealed- with workers, private sector workers in particular, now beginning to find themselves at the mercy of the failing economic markets. There are many recent cases that reflect this, including the much publicised plight of Visteon workers.

In this climate of economic uncertainty it is vital that workers have strong safety nets and that governments help those that become unemployed to quickly find another job, training or education course. It is therefore imperatively urgent that the Assembly works together to implement a strong social response to this crisis. There can be no room for policy inertia- the DUP and Sinn Fein need to set aside petty political positioning and start delivering for workers.

But these tough times must be met with progressive policies- not the tired, old rhetoric and economic philosophy that has been the inherent root cause for this economic malaise. This economic regime has failed Europe, like it has the rest of the world, and it is obvious that now is the time for new leadership.

That is why it is important that the Party of European Socialists, the SDLP’s mother party at the European-level, is returned as the strongest grouping in the European Parliament at the June European elections. You can play your part- give your support to Alban Maginness and help create a more socially conscious Europe that puts people first!

In solidarity,

Barry Magee