SDLP manifesto: Key policies analysed

In what is hardly the first instance of political deja vu in this campaign, here’s a pledge the SDLP made earlier.

It is one of two parties in Northern Ireland that has been banging the drum on reform for some time.

In a previous session of parliament, the SDLP unsuccessfully attempted to tack on legislative changes to Stormont’s structures to a bill passing through the Commons, to try and reduce future instability.

In this manifesto, the party is still pushing those proposals; namely removing the so-called veto that allows the largest unionist and nationalist parties in the executive to bring the institutions down at any time.

The SDLP jointly co-led the first Stormont power-sharing government in 1998, and has been the only party to wield that power and not walk out of government.

More than a quarter of a century has passed since the inception of power-sharing and the SDLP also argues that the titles of first and deputy first ministers should be renamed “joint first ministers”, to reflect that the jobs are equal.

Having failed to get enough seats in the last assembly election to qualify to join the executive, the party is now the official opposition at Stormont.

With power-sharing back up and running for more than 100 days the SDLP says its proposals on reform need to be pushed through while Stormont is stable, in order to avoid a repeat collapse.

Against the backdrop of Labour taking power there may be a greater chance of Number 10 giving this consideration in due course.

But getting the largest parties – Sinn Féin and the DUP – on board will be key to any significant changes and so far they’ve shown little appetite to do so.