As Chair of SDLP Youth (SDLPY) I was part of an SDLP delegation that met with Irish Environment Minister, John Gormley TD to discuss North South arrangements, Climate Change and the SDLPY campaign “The Countdown is on” regarding international climate talks in Copenhagen.
When it comes to the North South bodies, it remains the fact that the DUP are blocking Climate Change being discussed at these meetings. So on the most important issue facing a generation, the DUP are blocking discussion and action.
They really are out of touch.
There is no denying that it still remains encoded in the DUP’s DNA the need to exclude and squeeze nationalists and Catholics, you can see that in how they behave in government, central and local, particularly over how they continually put down pre conditions on policing and justice negotiations.
These pre conditions are usually attacking what the SDLP fought for in the Good Friday Agreement; such as the Parades Commission, Equality Commission, Bill of Rights or North South Arrangements.
Sinn Fein are slow to the game but my party’s been saying that for a long time.
But this is the environment we are talking about, what rational reason can there be for excluding discussion and action on the most crucial issue facing us?
We pushed the Minister to get tough on the DUP on this and get this on the agenda. Time will tell if that will be the case.
SDLP Delegation meet Irish Environment Minister
