SDLP leader Mark Durkan today called on all parties to come together again to discuss the issue of Irish unity.
The Foyle MP said talk around unity must move beyond occasional rhetoric with no real meaning.
Mr Durkan told the annual SDLP Youth Conference in Belfast that it was important to create a 21st century vision for integration that is not just about righting wrongs or addressing grievances, but about a sense of destiny and purpose.
“The SDLP is 100 per cent for the Good Friday Agreement. We are also 100 per cent for a united Ireland,” he said. “We are the only party that has set out a clear view that addresses how we see Irish unity in the context of the Agreement and how we see the Agreement in the context of Irish unity.
“No other party has done this; no other party has answered this. I would call on all nationalist parties to get together and address this issue.”
On current political situation in the north, Mr Durkan maintained there is a growing sense of disappointment at the quality of devolved government.
“The SDLP are very clear that devolution in this stage is underachieving and under-performing with too much stroke and not enough strategy. People are being let down,” he added.
“The public invested great hope in devolution but instead all we are getting karaoke legislation with a local action," he said.
“But this is not just about criticising Sinn Féin and the DUP. In the next week the SDLP will publish a start of term report which points out how little has been achieved.”
PA