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Nationalists
Social Democratic and Labour Party
The SDLP were founded as a protest party for Nationalists who felt that they were'nt getting their basic civil rights and were being treated as second class citizens by the British and Stormont administrations. Up until recently the SDLP have been far and away the most popular Nationalist party but were overtaken by Sinn Fein in the last general election.
The party has always been ready to enter into negotiations with anyone to bring about a peaceful resolution to Northern Ireland's problems. They were the main party in negotations which led to the Sunningdale Agreement and it was former leader John Hume's talks with Gerry Adams that paved the way for the talks which brought about the Good Friday Agreement. The SDLP have always insited on an All-Ireland dimension to any long term Agreement. John Hume for his part was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts in Northern Ireland. However it appears the SDLP are not as attractive to the electorate as they were before. The party was viewed as quite a stagnant old party, their three sitting MPs (Hume, Mallon and McGrady) have been with the party for years. There was a clear lack of youth in the leadership and they're no longer viewed as the radical party they once were.
The SDLP have been hugely instrumental in the search for peace and have been a moderate influence in the present administration, willing to compromise on issues such as the new Police Service. As a party they are respected by most including the DUP and have shown they can work well with any party. Despite having gained a new leader the SDLP could still lose a lot of ground to Sinn Fein in the next Assembly elections, even during the recent troubles at Holy Cross, SDLP activists aren't nearly as visible as Sinn Fein politicians and thats where they need to be visible to improve their vote.
Mark Durkan
What a big job Foyle MLA Mark Durkan has. Following in John Hume's footsteps is a pretty big job but what makes it worse is that SDLP are on the slide in the polls but Mark Durkan might just be what the party needs.
Mark Durkan has been a prominent voice in the SDLP for years, he was an outspoken defender of John Hume when Hume was criticised for meeting with Gerry Adams and has earned himself a good reputation as Finance Minister in the Stormont Executive. He was elected unopposed as leader of the party when John Hume stepped down and looks quite comfortable in the role and in his new role as Deputy First Minister. He certainly has given the SDLP the edge it needed in terms of youth but will that be enough to reverse the slide in time for the next Assembly elections. I fear not as the SDLP still seem to be lacking the constituency politics needed to win votes, especially in the more deprived areas. They're still missing the radicalism that they had years ago and thats what will have to increase if they're to regain the position as leading nationalist party.
John Hume
One of the most respected and famous politicians in the world today, John Hume. The man, suprisingly, stepped down as leader of the SDLP last year but his legacy will live on for years. John Hume came to the fore during the civil rights movement and in 1970 six SDLP members where elected to Parliament. Gerry Fitt was elected leader and John Hume as Deputy. Since then John Hume has worked tirelessly for peace. As leader of the largest Nationalist party he successfully managed to dictate the thrust of Irish and British government policy for the best part of 20 years. John Hume has always been at the centre of all political initiatives in Northern Ireland. In the Republic his profile was so big that on anything Northern related past Irish Taoisigh and Foreign Affairs Ministers took their cues from John Hume. His unequivocal stand against violence and his favour of an accomodation with Unionists has led the media and political establishment to bestow upon him a form of political saintliness. He is very respected among all sides of the Nationalist/Republican community. In fact he was the only SDLP MP who's vote increased at the last General Election.
Ironically it's the Good Friday Agreement, for which he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, that has seen his and the SDLP's influence diminish as the Governments try to find a medium between Sinn Fein and the Ulster Unionist Party with middle ground parties such as SDLP and Alliance suffering. In recent times his influence has shifted towards Europe. As John Hume steps out of the limelight the SDLP are going through their worst electoral patch ever and its up to the new leadership of Durkan and Rodgers to stem that flow
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