SDLP signals end of partnership with Fianna Fáil
- Published
Fianna Fáil's Micheál Martin and the SDLP's Colum Eastwood revealed their partnership plans in January 2019
The SDLP has signalled an end to its partnership with Fianna Fáil after three years.
Party leader Colum Eastwood said the SDLP needed to move forward by "standing on its own two feet".
He made the remark to SDLP delegates at an extraordinary general party meeting last weekend to discuss the findings of an internal review.
However, Taoiseach (Irish PM) Micheál Martin rejected reports that the SDLP had cut ties with his party.
Mr Martin said he had spoken to the SDLP leader adding that they would continue to work together.
The SDLP held the review after it lost four seats in the Stormont assembly election in May.
The decision to bring the partnership to an end was first reported by the Belfast Telegraph, external.
The SDLP and Fianna Fáil formed the link officially in January 2019, when it was described by Mr Eastwood as a "big step" in the SDLP's history.
The merger had been on the cards for years before then, and once in place was criticised by some SDLP members.
Claire Hanna subsequently quit her position as the party's Brexit spokesperson but remained as an SDLP assembly member before being elected as the SDLP MP for South Belfast in December 2019.
Analysis: A failed political marriage - but what was it for?
It was a political marriage of convenience that has now inevitably ended in a quick divorce.
Originally proposed as a way for two parties who exist on either side of the border to share ideas and support, the partnership regardless made some within the SDLP uncomfortable.
News of its demise will perhaps make more headlines than anything achieved over the past three years.
The question may well be asked what was it all for?
As the SDLP attempts to refresh its image after a bruising election defeat, it wants to shake off old allegiances and start anew.
Fianna Fáil will also have to consider what its prospects are when it comes to having a future presence in Northern Ireland.
On Thursday, the SDLP issued a statement that said the party was "determined to create a social democratic new Ireland".
"We have worked intensively and constructively with Fianna Fáil over the last number of years to advance that goal and we are proud to have helped shape the priorities of the shared island unit which is delivering on projects that bring our people closer together," they said.
The party added: "Colum Eastwood and Micheál Martin continue to have regular discussions about the future of this island and the challenges we face."
But Fianna Fáil TD (member of the Irish Parliament) Éamon Ó Cuív said the decision needed to "open a debate in Fianna Fáil about our future direction towards being a truly all-Ireland party".
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In 2018, Ó Cuív and a party colleague were sacked from the Fianna Fáil frontbench after appearing to announce an election candidate for the party in Northern Ireland, which had not been approved by party headquarters.
Fianna Fáil is currently leading a coalition government in the Republic of Ireland, following the general election in February 2020.
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