Madam, - Fionnuala O'Connor's claim (Opinion, October 17th) that the SDLP is "a goner" may fit the perceived zeitgeist, but ignores a number of basic facts.
The current mess in the peace process is not the SDLP's creation. That the British and Irish governments have sought a solution through dealing exclusively with Sinn Féin and the Ulster Unionist Party irks not only the SDLP but all the other mainstream parties in the North (bar the DUP, of course).
Should the mess be sorted out and Assembly elections be called, the SDLP will enter those elections determined to preserve its position as the largest nationalist party and confident of maintaining, if not increasing, its vote.
Before composing her piece, did Fionnula O'Connor sit down and examine the constituencies in the North? Did she reflect that in order to surpass the SDLP, Sinn Féin has to pick up a number of SDLP seats that appear secure? Did she examine precisely where the transfers would come from in the PR/STV system that would allow Sinn Féin to gain these extra seats?
Did she consider the likelihood of the SDLP gaining far more transfers than Sinn Féin, enabling it to pick up the fifth and sixth seats in numerous constituencies that will allow it stay ahead of Sinn Fein?
Did she reflect on the popularity of SDLP candidates in the areas they represent, on their reputation as hard-working public representatives?
Did she look at the calibre of new, young candidates emerging in the SDLP (led, I may add, by the youngest leader of any main political party on the island), hungry to work for social justice and to achieve a lasting peace in Ireland?
Did she reflect that if the elections go-ahead, the SDLP will enter them determined to make all the political arrangements work, and that this message might just have some impact on voters?
The SDLP needs the Assembly. It needs the North-South bodies, and all the other institutions. When we get over the current crisis the party that is responsible for so much progress in the North in the past will have a massive contribution to make in the future. - Yours, etc.,
RONAN FARREN,
Dartmouth Square,
Ranelagh,
Dublin 6.