AS EXPECTED the SDLP got a kicking in the media this week for its principled stand on the spad bill. This was to be expected with a divisive and provocative piece of legislation. One thing should be remembered it was not the SDLP who put gunmen and women into these positions which so upset many people, nor was it the SDLP who created a hierarchy of victimhood. The SDLP did more than any other party could to stop more victims being created while other parties either washed their hands or actively encouraged the men of violence who were destined to end up in these highly paid jobs. To make the SDLP the scapegoat for this debacle is not only unfair but also very unjust as it has promoted the victims' cause always, while both Sinn Fien and the DUP cannot even agree on a definition of a victim. What would commentators like the SDLP to do? Pack its bags and leave the Stormont stage to the two main parties who did more than any other to prolong this conflict for 40 years. Well, 'we are not going away, you know'.
