SDLP Foyle MLA Sinead McLaughlin
She replaced Colum Eastwood was elected last month as in the Westminster elections as the MP for Foyle after he trounced Sinn Fein’s Elisha McCallion.
Ms McLauglin had been a councillor on Derry City and Strabane District Council and was the former chief executive of the Derry Champber of Commerce.
Here is the text of the SDLP MLA’s maiden speech:
“Thank you Mr. Speaker. It is an honour to be called to make my maiden speech on this most important issue.
It is my privilege to carry on the mandate of my predecessor and party leader Colum Eastwood. Colum is a superb politician, showing the value of properly representing the Foyle Constituency in Westminster for Derry and all Northern Ireland. I am proud he is my Party Leader.
“The SDLP has new energy. But we stand on the shoulders of some of the greatest Irish Leaders, John Hume and Seamus Mallon.
“We have a strong history…for Civil Rights, as peacemakers, as Europeans. It is part of our DNA.
“I am a proud Derry Girl. I was born, reared and raised a family in my hometown. I love the place and the people.
“I am passionate about my City reaching its full potential. Derry is a beautiful City, where the Wild Atlantic Way meets the Causeway Coast. We are surrounded on three sides by the hills of Donegal.
“We are a cross border city region that is steeped in history and heritage – and if walls could speak….
“I have lived in Derry in the worst of times and in the best of times. I believe that better times are ahead, and I am committed to playing my part.
“I support the Motion before us today. There is no good version of Brexit.
“Brexit is bad for our economy; it is bad for our citizens. I was Vice Chair of the Remain campaign for NI, while being Chief Executive of the Londonderry Chamber of Commerce. Economic forecasts predicted that Brexit would damage NI, especially border areas. Sure enough, last week the Ulster Bank said Northern Ireland is now in recession. Thank you Brexit.
“While Northern Ireland faced the challenges of Brexit, we had a political vacuum and our Business Leaders stepped up. They tried to make contingency plans with little or no information.
“Businesses are not orange or green – they just want to get on with things. I want this Assembly and our Executive to work closer with business, the community and academics as we move ahead with Brexit implementation.
“But I am pragmatic, The UK leaves the EU on the 31st January, 11 days from now. We need to play the ball where it lands.
“The SDLP and the north did not want a land border in Ireland, nor did we want a watery border in the Irish Sea.
SDLP selected Sinead McLaughlin as party’s new MLA for Foyle to replace Colum Eastwood
“There are competing narratives: the EU Commission will protect its Single Market and Custom Union – it has said there will be EU import and export formalities – we need to understand what they are.
“I don’t like the Withdrawal Agreement Bill. It gives the UK government too much power over Northern Ireland. And we need certainty around our future arrangements.
“Yet we need to prepare for Brexit.
“Our economy is weak. We have poor productivity due to underinvestment in physical and human capital – especially in Derry.
“We must build our skills to build our economy. Our second city needs a full-sized University of 10,000 students.
“We need to retain more of our talent, instead of exporting it. Limiting the size of our universities is a terrible act of economic self-harm.
“I will end by quoting Irish economist John FitzGerald, whose recent analysis of the north’s economy said that to improve our economy the most important steps are to reduce the number of early school leavers and increase the number of graduates.
“That is true. And nowhere is that more important than in my city of Derry, where the poverty levels are much too high.
“It is a failure that I am determined to challenge and that is a core part of my new role in this Assembly.”
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