SDLP leader comments on abortion

[Enormouse]

www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/northern-ireland/abortion-row-sdlp-boss-mcdonnell-claims-foetal-tests-for-fatal-conditions-never-accurate-30958551.html

I never usually post in FWR (I'm a bit scared of you lot) but these comments by SDLP leader Alasdair McDonnell really angered me and have overshadowed the recent NIHRC ruling. In the paper version of the Belfast telegraph, the article on McDonnell (and a huge photo of Bernadette Smyth) takes up much of the double page and the NIHRC gets a small box.

How is it fair that a judicial challenge that would go, admittedly a small but significant way, to changing the law for women is being dwarfed by the comments of one man?

Because what a man thinks and says is, in our society, more important that a woman's life.

Pretty much everything men do, say, think, believe, want is more important than anything to do with women.

I share your anger - not only does he get to spout utter rubbish, he gets an enormous double page platform on which to do so.

(We're not scary, by the way, we're really quite cuddly when you get to know us).

I do think it's a very calculated move to take the attention away from the ruling.

Hi lurcio you lot are a little scary. I've lurked on a few threads and it seems to get pretty heated. But I know you're all lovely.

Welcome to FWR, honestly, we're lovely here!

The words of men have always held more weight and been given more credence than those of women. There have been many examples of men who want to continue to have control over women's bodies and minds who have lied and skewed facts in order to continue that control.

Well so I read the article and what the man said was "I'm a total bastard and I hate women with a passion and like to see them suffer" wasn't it?

That was what I got from it anyway.

That's about it sardine. Oh and 'I know better than you, all of you, because I used to be a Dr'.

I spent a lot of time completing the online questionnaire for the DoJ consultation and am saddened that it seems to have received so little news coverage compared to the opinions of this rather ill-informed man.

Yes well, that's how Savita Halappanavar was left to die of an easily prevented condition, wasn't it. Some bunch of medical types with an attitude.

Nothing to do with those Magdalen Laundry shops, of course, it's just a coincidence. Makes you wonder how different Ulster is from the Republic; doesn't seem like much.

Alasdair McDonnell was a crap choice of leader for the SDLP, which is pretty much a political irrelevance now. Nobody really listens to them any more- Sinn Fein is the big nationalist show in town - so they've found an issue which is a point of difference from Sinn Fein's stance and are banging on about it to get some publicity (and probably alienating the majority of the electorate in the process). When you consider the SDLP's origins in the civil rights movement, it's sad to see how far they have slid down the plughole.

Enormouse... on the other thread. There's nothing you can say to make that other poster see your situation in a positive light. She was utterly vile to a woman who was being forced to carry her ancephalic foetus to term by NI's laws. I applaud you for trying, but she simply won't care. Sorry.

Seconded. Enormouse.

I know puffins. I recognise her from other chats where she's said similarly vile things. I almost threw my kindle at the wall at the suggestion of pro life counselling.

She's stopped engaging with me now but I do stand by what I did as it was my right and my choice

I remember her being horrible to babyfacedassassin on another thread. Is it her you're thinking of?

Yes, that was the woman I meant.

That poster is the only person apart from obvious trolls I've come across on here, who I don't think I'd be able to remain polite to if I met her. Her views on women are so utterly repulsive. And she's so unkind to women who are in obvious pain.

So glad the ASN are continuing to be supportive, they are a truly amazing group of women.

Oh goddess, is she back? Now she is scary.

Not us, we're lovely! Thanks for the article link, Enormouse.

Yes, Yonic.... with the same harmful bollocks as ever.

Well, fortunately, the vast majority of MN are sane and empathetic and reasonable. Drowns out the lone (or 2 or 3) anti women posters.

Didn't the SDLP used to be the party that if you had to vote for an NI party they were the least worst option?

Yes. I used to vote for them (despite growing up in a unionist household). Not any more.

What is/ was the reason for the mainstream parties not standing in NI?

Which ones do you mean?

Do you mean Labour and the Tories?

The mainstream parties for NI do stand all the time. Or do you think that the mainstream parties from the mainland should stand too, just so they could lose their deposits?

Do you have any clue about the NI political map at all?

Sardine all of them. None of them field candidates in NI. Never have for as long as I can remember.

The parties are split on sectarian and Unionist/Republican lines. There may be informal support for the mainstream mainland parties but there are no affiliations.

The SDLP is Catholic but used to be the most moderate and sensible of all of them. If you were a liberal/vaguely lefty you'd pick them even if you were a Protestant/Unionist. John Hulme was widely admired in his day.

The SDLP is more likely to support a Labour administration and the Protestant parties are more likely to support a Conservative one, but it's not a given.

This is the reason abortion and contraception laws are different in NI. The one thing the Catholic and Protestant NI parties agreed on is keeping women in their place.

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_political_parties_in_Northern_Ireland

Infelicity... it seems to be the only bloody thing they agree on....