SDLP leader Colm Eastwood MP was joined by his party’s candidates for the upcoming election as they launched their campaign at the Cultúlann in the heart of West Belfast.
Their choice of venue for this launch represents a determination on the part of the party for their candidate, Paul Doherty to win back the seat which Alex Attwood lost in 2017.
Launching their campaign, the party was joined by former SDLP MP for West Belfast, Joe Hendron, who marked 30 years since winning the seat last weekend.
ANNIVERSARY: Former West Belfast MP, Dr Joe Hendron, joined the current West Belfast candidate Paul Doherty at the event
Addressing the packed crowd on the Falls Road, Mr Eastwood talked of how Paul Doherty was helping upwards of 400 people each week with his foodbank and praised what he termed, his commitment to the people of his community.
“30 years ago at the weekend, Joe Hendron made history by winning the Westminster seat for West Belfast and I am absolutely convinced that Paul is going to win back an SDLP seat for West Belfast this time," he said.
“There was also another anniversary at the weekend and that was the 24th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement being signed. This is something which we in this room hold very dear.
“We worked the common ground and continue to work the common ground. People like John Hume and others set the vision and I think, as Paul says we have to have a vision of what that agreement was about.
“It wasn’t just about ending violence, it was about lifting people out of poverty, it was about bringing communities together and I think, frankly we have been let down over the past number of years.
“We have had too much of the same over the last fifteen years and if we elect people like Paul, we will send a very clear message that people have had enough, that communities aren’t just being told that things have changed and that they need to actually see it and know that they are being looked after.”
Speaking to the Andersonstown News after the event, Colm Eastwood MP expressed the importance of launching their campaign in West Belfast.
“I think West Belfast needs to change and Paul Doherty is, in my view the best candidate for that. He is somebody who is totally involved in the community. He runs a foodbank which is feeding around 400 families a week and he is fearless when it comes to standing up for the people who we represent.
“We want to take a seat back here and we think we have enough votes to take back a seat here.”
In this election, our first priority is getting support to every household that has been hit by hikes in the cost of fuel, food and energy.
— Social Democratic and Labour Party (@SDLPlive) April 11, 2022
We launched our #AE22 campaign in West Belfast this morning where @ColumEastwood and @PaulDohertySDLP set out our plan to put #PeopleFirst pic.twitter.com/c3v3gtgAn8
If Paul Doherty is to win a seat, he will be relying on transfers from people who may not have voted SDLP before. When questioned on his party’s links with Fianna Fáil after their TD Paul McAuliffe joined Mr Doherty on a canvass in the area, Mr Eastwood said that he doesn’t believe that their links will impact on their ability to attract transfers from the likes of Sinn Féin.
“I am not sure that has any impact quite frankly,” he said.
“The only issues that matter to people, particularly in communities like West Belfast, in Derry and in North Belfast is that they are struggling to turn on the heating and feed their kids.
“We can’t have more of the same because this cost of living crisis isn’t new. We have known about it for months and even when the Executive was up and running, they didn’t do anything.”
CANDIDATES: The SDLP candidates for the upcoming election posed for photographs outside the Royal Victoria Hospital
When asked about his party’s role within the Executive, Colm Eastwood was keen to stress that his Deputy Leader, Nichola Mallon, was their only Minister at the table.
“We had one minister and she delivered. We are the only place on these islands that froze the bus and rail fares and she did whatever she could to deliver within that ministry.
“We are going to see Casement Park get planning permission within this community because of Nichola Mallon.
“We had one minister and if we [the SDLP] had more, I think we would be in a better position. The DUP/Sinn Féin duopoly hasn’t served the people of West Belfast very well.”
SDLP party candidate for West Belfast, Paul Doherty added: “What we are talking about here is people struggling, people suffering and in terms of what I do, day to day in this community, I am seeing each and every day that more people are struggling and in need of support.
“A big part of our approach here is to put people first. It is to put money into people’s pockets and support them. That is why it has been important for us as a party to take this to West Belfast and to get that across to people.
“We need to put money into people’s pockets and that is the SDLP’s approach.
“There is £300 million stuck in Stormont and we need to put emergency legislation through so that people can be supported.”
