Northern Ireland faces general and local elections on Thursday. Rarely in our history have elections had such great potential to define the future of this island. For these elections will determine the fundamental question of whether our new constitutional arrangements for Northern Ireland can survive.
For one full year, the institutions of the Good Friday agreement have been in operation. It is an anniversary that has gone unnoticed - and yet it deserves celebration. Only a short time ago, few could have predicted that the representatives of unionism, nationalism and republicanism would sit together in an inclusive Executive working to an agreed Programme for Government. Fewer still could have predicted that these arrangements would last so long and work so well.
But now, after 12 months, the new institutions are under threat. Anti-agreement unionists, fortified by the failure of republicans to make sufficient progress on decommissioning, are stepping up their attempts to overthrow the new constitutional order - in defiance of the overwhelming will of the people, expressed in the 1998 referendums.
The response of some parties to this challenge has been weak-willed and ambiguous. The UUP, far from facing down the threat, has pandered to it. It has illegally excluded Sinn Fein ministers from North-South co-operation. David Trimble's resignation letter hangs over the entire process. All this only serves to destabilise the agreement further. The response of Sinn Fein has also been weak - and ever-changing. Playing into the hands of the DUP, it has flirted at times with seeking to renegotiate the agreement - yet it must know that to renegotiate the agreement would only be to unravel it.
Worse, all paramilitary groups have failed to make enough progress on putting weapons beyond use. The recent announcement that some IRA arms dumps have been reinspected is welcome. But it does not offer the resolution of the arms issue that we all need.
IT SHOULD by now be clear to all that the institutions of the Good Friday agreement will not be stable if all aspects of it are not implemented. And without stability, there is no prospect of advancing our ambitious North/South agenda. In short, if republicans want this agreement to work, they cannot shirk their responsibility to make it work.
Faced with these semi-detached attitudes to the agreement, only the SDLP offers voters the chance to support the agreement in its entirety and send a message to other parties that nothing less than their full support is required.
For the SDLP, the agreement marks the culmination of 30 years of hard campaigning. It embodies the very principles that we have espoused since we first marched for civil rights. Equality. Human rights. Inclusiveness. North/South co-operation. It is the expression of our philosophy and approach.
So we are not sanguine about the agreement's fate. We stand full square behind it. As the only major party to have lived up to its commitments under the agreement, voters can be sure of that.
But while the defence of the agreement lies at the very heart of our election campaign, the SDLP's agenda goes further. Ours is a social democratic party. We are committed to working through the agreement for equality, social justice and a fair deal for all. Already during their short time in office, our ministers have clearly demonstrated their determination to advance that agenda. The marks of the SDLP can be seen throughout government. In plans for a children's commissioner, our proposals for equality, free fares for the elderly, reform of student finance and a real commitment to agriculture and rural development, to name but a few.
We are also a party firmly rooted in the European tradition. The North has gained too much from Europe to indulge in the economic and political isolationism of parties like Sinn Fein. Alone among Northern parties, we want to see the euro in pockets throughout the island. For Border regions will never realise their potential as long as we have fluctuating exchange rates.
We are also committed to human rights and a new beginning for policing and criminal justice. That means bringing about change - not shouting slogans. Already, we have secured key amendments to the Police Bill. Can anyone imagine what state that Bill would have been in if, like Sinn Fein, the SDLP ignored its responsibility to represent its voters and boycotted Westminster?
AFTER the election, there will be crucial negotiation. They must deal with all the related issues that are impeding progress: decommissioning, demilitarisation, inclusive government and policing. The SDLP is determined to see all these matters dealt with clearly and conclusively. We cannot go on with the politics of the wink, the nudge and the side deal. And we are determined to ensure that the British government lives up to its commitments in any legislation afterwards. That is why we are seeking the strongest mandate in these elections. As the largest party in Northern Ireland we are confident of achieving it.
But unlike Sinn Fein, being the largest party is not the sum total of our ambitions. We are committed to providing representation, not partisan domination. Our goal is to work for all, not to benefit the few.
Above all, the SDLP's goal is to heal the divisions on this island. We are working tirelessly to overcome the terrible legacy left by 30 years of futile violence. To turn our economy around. To improve relations in communities ravaged by the bomb and bullet. Working through the agreement, we are determined to bring about the true unity of the people of Ireland.
Throughout the North, on the doorsteps and in the streets, the voters are responding to these messages. They recognise that the agreement is the only way forward, and that, more than any other, we can deliver on it. That is why, in key constituencies, including West Tyrone, we are clearly winning - and still building.
On Thursday, voters will determine not merely the future of the North, but the future of the whole island. Yet again, we find ourselves at a crossroads. This time, however, the people will reject the politics of destruction and despair. This time, the people are turning to the agreement. To equality and respect for difference. To a better future for us all.