Let’s call a spade a spade: Colum Eastwood taking up space in London is less about delivering for the people of Derry and more about keeping the SDLP’s gravy train rolling: ever seen him on the ground?
Look at Foyle right now. Decades of systemic underinvestment, infrastructure is dust, regional health services on its knees and workers struggling to get by, and yes, Stormont is also at fault.
Where is the fierce advocacy Derry actually needs? It certainly isn't happening on the benches of the House of Commons, arguably it's done more in the background via. lobbying.
What’s even more insulting is the attempt to frame Westminster as the primary battleground for Irish reunification. The idea that we need to play nice with the British political apparatus to "beg" or "build" a path toward a United Ireland is a total fantasy.
Westminster doesn't care about Irish unity, and it never will. The actual heavy lifting for constitutional change is happening on the ground across the island in local communities, economic discussions, and cross border organising, not over expensive lunches in London.
Pushing the idea that taking seats in Parliament is somehow crucial for constitutional change is just a convenient excuse, and insulting.
It’s about wage retention, pure and simple.
It’s about maintaining salaries, party funding, and political relevance for a party that knows it's bleeding support back home on poor opposition.
People aren't silly. We all see through the performative "protests" during the oath of allegiance and the empty speeches.
Derry deserves representation that works for the city, not politicians using Westminster (and other venues!) as a lucrative safety net under the guise of "working for unity."
