Well the Year 13 Politics class have already got a story to talk about. Conor McDevitt, poster boy of the SDLP and certainly a strong candidate for future leadership has resigned as an MLA. This shock news came as a result of a payment made to him from his former employers when he became an MLA - which was subsequently not declared.
While this has been certainly a breach in the rules, it says a lot about McDevitts character that he resigned on the issue. He has always set himself up as a character of integrity and perhaps he has been a victim of his own high standards. Certainly he is a huge loss to the SDLP but also to the Assembly. Very few MLA'S could match his articulation and obvious intelligence not to mention media savvy (something very rare in Northern Ireland!)
McDevitts departure leaves a deep hole for Alasdair McDonnell, leader of the SDLP. South Belfast has also lost a valuable MLA. It remains to be seen whether we have truly seen the last of Conor McDevitt- We can only hope not in his case.
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
Was this really a resigning matter? Perhaps his not declaring the money needed to be punished? Why is it that he has to resign while others with questionable financial links seem to float on in Politics? Did he simply set his own standards too high and was bound therefore to fall on his own sword at some stage?
While this has been certainly a breach in the rules, it says a lot about McDevitts character that he resigned on the issue. He has always set himself up as a character of integrity and perhaps he has been a victim of his own high standards. Certainly he is a huge loss to the SDLP but also to the Assembly. Very few MLA'S could match his articulation and obvious intelligence not to mention media savvy (something very rare in Northern Ireland!)
McDevitts departure leaves a deep hole for Alasdair McDonnell, leader of the SDLP. South Belfast has also lost a valuable MLA. It remains to be seen whether we have truly seen the last of Conor McDevitt- We can only hope not in his case.
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
Was this really a resigning matter? Perhaps his not declaring the money needed to be punished? Why is it that he has to resign while others with questionable financial links seem to float on in Politics? Did he simply set his own standards too high and was bound therefore to fall on his own sword at some stage?
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