Direct From Crowne Plaza: Claire Hanna Elected SDLP Leader

By Luke Collins

“Let’s move it up a gear and let’s get to work.”

Claire Hanna’s first speech as the new SDLP party leader has members looking ahead towards a brighter future. The SDLP annual party conference on October 6th was a monumental day for the South Belfast MP, Claire Hanna who became the party’s seventh leader as well as its second female leader. While most eyes were on the incumbent leader, there also was a focus on the departing leader – Foyle MP Colum Eastwood. Having held the position for nine years and overseeing ten elections including the recent Westminster election, where he retained his seat, Mr. Eastwood stated that he felt it was time to “give someone else a chance” and called on a new generation of young voters to “be leaders in your own communities” during his passionate departing speech.

The day commenced with the proposition of policy motions overseen by Conference Chairperson, West Tyrone MLA Daniel McCrossan. The motions addressed a variety of issues of concern to party members including government reform, education, and the economy. Highlights of the motion debates included: passing an amendment that called for universal free school meals for all pupils, commitments to eliminate racist discrimination, and to protect ethnic minority groups following the race riots carried out in August this year.

Preceding Mr Eastwood’s speech, SDLP’s most recent history maker, Derry City Mayor Lilian Seenoi-Barr – the first black mayor in Northern Ireland’s history – thanked her friend and colleague before it was time for the final speech of Eastwood’s leadership. Reflecting on news articles following his announcement last month that he was stepping down, Eastwood joked that he “had to check my pulse to make sure I hadn’t actually died.’ Recalling his ambition to join SDLP at age 14 campaigning for the Good Friday Agreement, he spoke of the “ordinary men and women who have done extraordinary things”. Praising his successor Claire Hanna, Eastwood remarked “I have never met anyone who believes more in reconciling our communities and I am so proud to have her as my leader.” Eastwood reiterated the party’s focus to ‘build the case for a new united Ireland’ and stated,

“My generation was promised more after the Good Friday Agreement, don’t tell me this is as good as it gets.”

Addressing critics of the party’s decline in seats, he stated that the party was “under no illusions”.

Following Belfast City Councillor Paul Doherty’s update on the New Ireland Commission – a particular focus for Eastwood’s speech and a cause that Ms. Hanna promises to continue fighting for and a talk given by SDLP councillors Pete Byrne and Lilian Barr – was a speech made by the other half of SDLP’s new Blair/Brown leadership team, South Belfast MLA, and Leader of the Opposition Matthew O’Toole. O’Toole joked on his unwanted title as the first leader of the opposition to have no Executive to oppose, he also used his speech to highlight the mental health crisis in Northern Ireland, which was highlighted on the recent opposition day. They also pressed the Executive to introduce hate crime legislation following the race riots witnessed over the summer, to address the economic crisis and committed to holding the Executive to account.

At 3.45pm, the new leader of the party prepared to step out and make her inaugurating speech as the SDLP leader. Claire Hanna started her speech by highlighting how the SDLP had always been a big part of her life, with her father being a former General Secretary of the party and her mother formerly an MLA. She stated “the SDLP’s politics has value, has a purpose and has a future” and on building a “new Ireland” she admitted that it was “no quick constitutional fix”.

She believes in reconciliation saying it should be used “not as a buzzword but as a way of living” and that “a new Ireland meant a new Northern Ireland along the way.” Hanna promised that SDLP will be active and finished with a call to action stating “There’s no winning without effort; getting going will get us results.” Her speech was received well by the audience at the Crowne Plaza who burst into rapturous applause. It seems that as the baton of leadership switches hands, Claire Hanna’s leadership will focus more on making people feel rather than just think.

The poster behind Hannah which promised to ‘Build Something New’, seems to be the message that the SDLP want to tell the electorate under its new leadership – that it is a sleeping giant that will rise again.