Fianna Fáil – the new, and the the not so new

Guest Blogger Cllr. Ian Parsley

Cllr Ian James Parsley, born in 1977, joined the Alliance Party in 2002, was elected to North Down Borough Council in 2005, and served as Deputy Mayor from 2008-9. He was the Alliance Party's candidate at the European Election for the Northern Ireland region, attaining the party's best result for 30 years.

In September this year Cllr Parsley resigned from the Alliance party to join the Conservative Party.

He will spend the next year working with the Centre for Social Justice delivering a "Breakthrough Belfast" report as part of the think tank's "Breakthrough Britain" series.

"Electorally, Fianna Fáil will also provide a welcome democratic alternative to Sinn Féin in those (primarily rural, border) areas where the SDLP is now all but absent."

Fianna Fáil – the new, and the the not so new

Much has been made of the potential for Fianna Fáil to enter representative politics in Northern Ireland after it was revealed independent MLA Gerry McHugh had joined the party.

My own instinct is to welcome the move. Regional politics in Northern Ireland has already grown stale, with parties used to managing peace processes but unused to managing government departments. The introduction of a party with the resources to expand and experience of government can only be a good thing in that context. Electorally, Fianna Fáil will also provide a welcome democratic alternative to Sinn Féin in those (primarily rural, border) areas where the SDLP is now all but absent.

However, all is not so new. Fianna Fáil does not offer a route away from identity-based politics to ideology-based politics, as it itself is based within an identity-based system south of the border; nor does it offer a route towards influence on the key issues of taxation, security or welfare reform because it has no say in politics at the relevant level. In short, even if it does cause an earthquake within one of the designations in Northern Ireland, Fianna Fáil’s involvement will not move us away from politics along sectarian lines.

As for Gerry McHugh himself, it is widely known in Fermanagh that he left Sinn Féin for reasons apart from Republican ideology. The stated reason, that he had in fact rejected his then party’s stance on policing, needs to be reversed immediately whatever he claims about his exact party status, or Fianna Fáil may face a false start.

For all that initial confusion, this does ultimately make the question to the SDLP leadership candidates all the more pressing: namely, what is the SDLP for? I have yet to hear either answer that other than by reference to the past. If this continues, they may have no future.