The Civil Rights Commemoration Committee is hosting an international conference on Saturday 4th - Sunday 5th October 2008 in the Guildhall in Derry to commemorate the 40th Anniversary of the Duke Street march.

The conference will reflect on the importance of civil rights, highlight civil rights issues in Ireland and the world today and will consider the impact of the media on civil rights.

President Mary McAleese will give the keynote addresses at the conference.

Speakers include John Hume, Ivan Cooper, Nell McCafferty, Patricia McKeown, ICTU, Monica McWilliams HRC, Maurice Manning IHRC, Mark Durkan MP MLA, Martin McGuinness MP MLA, Gregory Campbell MP MLA and many others.

The full agenda can be downloaded here.

If you wish to attend contact Tim Attwood at civilrights1968@yahoo.co.uk or Tel: 07802 279939

Limavady SDLP Youth spokesman, Liam McNulty, has highlighted a crisis in the supply of social housing in the North West and has criticised the NI Executive for hindering efforts by Minister Margaret Ritchie to tackle the problem.

Speaking on the issue, Mr McNulty said: “Every day the local SDLP office listens to people in desperate need of a place to live and who are frustrated with the lack of available housing. It is clear that the current economic crisis in the housing sector will increase demand for social housing and what is needed from our politicians is a far-sighted approach to these problems. The problem is particularly acute with regard to young families unable to get on the housing ladder.”
“Following the withdrawal of the British Army from Ballykelly, the area has a potential supply of high-quality housing lying dormant. No private developers will be interested in buying them due to the current state of the housing market and it would be a crime for these houses to fall into disrepair with so many people needing housed. Our politicians must act to secure them for local people both to provide places to live but also to secure the future of the local primary school.”
“Currently the SDLP is the only party campaigning strongly on this issue. Thanks to the efforts of the local party the issue of Ballykelly is now being looked at. Unfortunately the SDLP’s progress is being hindered by the current political stalemate gripping Stormont. SDLP Minister Margaret Ritchie’s housing bills were delayed by the failure of the Executive to meet before the summer recess, a state of affairs that is totally unacceptable with so many families feeling the pinch and so many young people unable to get on the housing ladder. It is time for the DUP and Sinn Fein to stop playing party politics with each other and to join with their Executive colleagues in solving the problems faced by people in all communities across the North.”

Devolving Policing and Justice Powers is the last piece of the devolution jigsaw and one which must be completed quickly and fairly. It is clear why the powers must be devolved quickly; the current political vacuum has given succour to dissident nihilists intent on destroying the democratic settlement and putting policing in the hands of locally elected politicians would go a long way in combating their campaign.

However, quickly need not imply that the process be rushed. It is a delicate issue and has to be carefully managed. The DUP-SF axis has proposed Alliance as the party best placed to handle the ministry but to give it to Alliance would destroy the precedent of the D’Hondt system and make a mockery of democracy. D’Hondt is the fairest, most proportional means of allocating ministries and using this system would mean that SDLP are entitled to the next ministry. There is no valid reason why D’Hondt should not be used for this ministry as it has been used for all others and is in place to allocate positions such as committee chairs not just in Stormont but in council chambers across the North.

Alliance do not have the electoral support to hold an Executive position in normal circumstances and if they were to be given the ministry we would be left with the bizarre situation of a party with a mere 36,139 votes (Alliance) holding the same number of Executive positions as one with 105,164 votes (the SDLP) while a party with 103,145 votes (the UUP) holds 2 positions. If we ignore the elections we might as well give the ministry to Rainbow George.

As El Blogador and the Belfast Stoop argue convincingly, the willingness of the two largest parties to bypass the SDLP has more to do with narrow political agendas rather than a desire to see the process competed quickly and fairly. If Sinn Fein want to see these powers devolved as quickly as possible then they would do better to support the SDLP rather than criticise them and indulge in backroom deals to conspire to deny nationalists a major position on the Executive.

The alternative to the SDLP is either right-wing ’shoot to kill’ unionism or Alliance and all the repercussions of abandoning D’Hondt. It is clear that the SDLP would run the ministry competently and that they are the logical choice for it but Sinn Fein would rather play party politics with the institutions for fear of being shown up by their rival.

On the 21st August 1970 the Social Democratic and Labour Party was created. Six MPs and one Senator got together to change the country, to promote civil rights, to represent the people, to stop the IRA war, to campaign for a new Ireland and supporting a principle of consent.

The seven men had worked together since the 1969 elections. They were John Hume MP elected in Foyle, Paddy O’Hanlon MP in South Armagh, Ivan Cooper MP in Mid Londonderry, and Austin Currie MP re-elected in East Tyrone, Paddy Devlin MP in Falls, Gerry Fitt MP in Dock, and Senator Paddy Wilson (who was brutally murdered in 1973 by the UFF).

Please read more on The Belfast Stoop blog. Also, here are the SDLP’s founding principles:

(from http://thesdlp.bebo.com/ )

SDLP Cllr Colin McGrath, who was recently elected Chairman of Down District Council, has decided to produce a series of video dairies so he can update constituents on what work he is doing during his term of office.

I share the concerns of Cllr Niall Kelly that while it’s an excellent video, Colin must be a bit of a headbanger in his spare time.

SDLP Leader and Foyle MP Mark Durkan MLA has said the potentials and possibilities of realignment will be the catalyst for change in politics North and South in the 21st Century.

Making the keynote address at the SDLP Youth Conference Mr Durkan told delegates the party’s legacy of keepers of the ideals of civil rights, social democratic values and vision as constitutional republicans will be maintained in the changing political landscape.

He said: “The SDLP was first to recognise that with a settled political process would come both significant challenges and exciting opportunities. We also understand that, if we are to maximise its potential, the possibilities for political realignment in Ireland must involve every party and impact upon every person on this island, North and South. Pivotal as the SDLP is to the debate on realignment; leading that debate as we are; it is vital to appreciate that this debate is bigger and wider than just us or the future direction we will take. It is about the future shape of politics in Ireland in the first half of the 21st century.

“This party was born because our founders had the vision to imagine a new politics in a time of challenge. Now, again in a time of change, we need to show the courage, tenacity and vision to lead the way in unfolding a new political landscape. In ways that will ensure that the SDLP, the values we uphold and the vision we hold out will be at the heart of the democratic life of the nation going forward. And will also create the best conditions to allow all parties to work together in the best interests of the people of this country we love. Delivering that outcome is not just our desire as a political party; it is our duty as patriots.

“It is on that positive, confident and imaginative basis that the SDLP’s All-Ireland Working Group has been exploring the opportunities for new politics.

“The working group has held positive meetings with the main parties in the South – including just this week with Fianna Fail, Fine Gael and Labour. Those exploratory discussions will continue and grow in the time ahead.

“Facilitated by our Deputy Leader, Alasdair McDonnell, the group is also engaging constructively in the North, including with the unionist community. “As we scope out new and wider terrain, it is crucial that we work to reassure people, as well as to persuade them of the potential of our approach.

“We do all this conscious of the great responsibility we have to the SDLP, all that we have been through and everything we have seen through. Because this party – and its members – have stood taller, walked further and reached higher for peace, stability and progress in this country than any other. We would not let anyone else away with misrepresenting that fact; as we discuss and debate our future role in Irish political life, we must not forget it ourselves. Put simply, the SDLP is not up for sale. Our work is not just to promote the prospect of a better Ireland, but to fulfil the promise of a better Ireland.

“So going forward – as we embrace change and explore opportunities in new circumstances – our mission must be to preserve our legacy as keepers of the ideals of civil rights; to protect our values as social democrats; to promote our vision as constitutional republicans; and to put this Social Democratic & Labour Party, all that we stand for, everything we believe in at the heart of the new Ireland.”