Madam, - The eclipse of the SDLP by Sinn Féin is not solely a result of John Hume's misguided policy of facilitating the emergence of Sinn Féin into the political mainstream. Its genesis stretches back to the hunger strikes in the early 1980s when the SDLP exhibited political cowardice and refused to field candidates against what was clearly an attempt to blackmail the majority of the population on this island through the use of the hunger strike.
By the time of the Hume/Adams talks it was obvious that the Provisional's military campaign was in deep trouble. However, once again the SDLP jumped to their assistance and took on the role of political midwife, boosting the political profile of Sinn Féin that subsequently led to the gradual demise of the SDLP.
Seldom has the old adage about supping with the devil had such tragic consequences. - Yours, etc.,
SEAN and ROSIN WHELAN, Ormond Keep, Nenagh, Co Tipperary.