Hanna to ‘move SDLP up a gear’ as she takes the helm

New SDLP person Claire Hanna has vowed to determination the enactment “up a gear” during her archetypal league astatine the helm.

The South Belfast and Mid Down MP spoke of increasing the enactment and reconnecting with the electorate successful her archetypal leader’s address.

Outgoing person Colum Eastwood announced successful August that helium would beryllium stepping down astatine the yearly gathering aft 9 years successful the job.

Ms Hanna was the lone campaigner to enactment her sanction guardant to win him and was confirmed arsenic the caller person astatine the league successful Belfast connected Saturday.

Ms Hanna, 44, started her code by paying tribute to those who inspired her to prosecute a vocation successful politics, peculiarly her SDLP stalwart parents Eamon and Carmel – the second a erstwhile Stormont MLA.

She spoke of her pridefulness successful the past of the SDLP and its starring relation successful the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement successful 1998 but expressed interest of authorities being “stuck betwixt our past and our future”.

“Politics hasn’t seemed similar work for rather immoderate time,” she said.

“We look to beryllium a spot stuck, betwixt our past and our future, and I deliberation the SDLP has been a spot stuck too.

“In the years since peace, it’s just to accidental that we haven’t ever been speedy capable connected our feet.

“We haven’t been wide astir who we are, and that allowed others to specify the narratives astir us.

“At times we’ve listened to each different much than we’ve listened to voters.

“We’ve tried to marque radical think, erstwhile radical request to feel. We’ve fixed the content of looking back, alternatively of looking forward.”

Ms Hanna added: “Nostalgia is large but it’s nary governmental strategy.

“We’re rightly arrogant of our yesterdays, but the SDLP is astir today, and tomorrow.

“At heart, we’re a enactment that looks to the horizon.

Let’s america determination up a gear, let’s enactment ourselves to work.

Claire Hanna

“I passionately judge that if this enactment didn’t exist, idiosyncratic would invent it.

“The SDLP, nary party, has nary divine close to exist. But we bash person a close to think, to believe, to accidental what we consciousness is close and this is important.”

Setting retired her mode guardant arsenic SDLP leader, Ms Hanna said the enactment volition beryllium wide astir who it is and wherever it is going and volition beryllium increasing their team, peculiarly targeting those successful communities making change.

She besides emphasised her committedness to societal democracy.

“As a enactment we request to alteration however we bash things, but not wherefore we bash things,” she said.

“We’ll amusement radical that what they person present isn’t arsenic bully arsenic it gets, and that we’re the enactment who’ll physique thing new.

“All of america together, I cognize we tin bash it. Let’s america determination up a gear, let’s enactment ourselves to work.”

Earlier, Mr Eastwood received a lasting ovation arsenic helium took to the signifier for his last league code arsenic leader.

He hailed the SDLP arsenic the enactment acceptable up successful 1970 which “chose civilian rights implicit civilian war”, adding helium sees “the aforesaid tone successful this tone today” peculiarly highlighting the enactment of Belfast councillor Paul Doherty and Mayor of Derry Lilian Seenoi-Barr.

“I americium truthful excited and inspired by our caller leader,” helium said.

“I person known Claire Hanna for decades, and arsenic you mightiness know, we haven’t ever agreed, but the fewer disagreements we person had person been astir tactics, not purpose. I person ne'er met anyone who believes much successful reconciling our communities and I for 1 americium arrogant to person her arsenic my leader.”

Mr Eastwood acknowledged the SDLP’s “diminished electoral state” successful presumption of the relation it tin play successful moving towards a caller Ireland, adding: “We’re nether nary illusions, it’ll instrumentality galore people, parties and activists to get america determination but which governmental enactment tin talk to the mediate ground, who has the history, practice and credibility to person the undecideds?

“We tin bash it due to the fact that we’ve ever been astir gathering a shared location for everyone connected this island.”

Mr Eastwood emphasised that helium is not retiring from politics, describing himself arsenic feeling arsenic driven present than ever, with a “decade of accidental to look guardant to”.

“I mean to beryllium relentlessly focused connected gathering the lawsuit for a caller agreed Ireland,” helium said.

“I americium much excited astir authorities present than astatine immoderate clip successful the past 26 years. This is the decennary of accidental for those of america who privation to spot this state yet agreed and reconciled.”

Meanwhile SDLP seasoned Brid Rodgers was made president of the enactment successful designation of her publication to politics, including serving arsenic a Stormont MLA and successful ministerial portfolios.

The league was told that lone different idiosyncratic to capable that relation successful the past had been erstwhile person and Nobel Peace Prize victor John Hume.