HONOURABLE MEMBERS FOR FOYLE AND NEWRY AND ARMAGH

Motion Text

That this House notes the retirement of the honourable Members for Foyle and Newry and Armagh from the leadership of the Social Democratic and Labour Party and offers congratulations to Mark Durkan MLA and Mrs Brid Rodgers MLA elected as SDLP leader and deputy leader respectively; recognises that the honourable Members for Foyle and Newry and Armagh have played a remarkable role in planting and nurturing the seeds of peace in Ireland and are among the most outstanding political leaders of their generation; pays fulsome tribute to their exceptional political abilities and heroic personal stature; asserts that their courage in the face of great adversity, humanity in the face of terrible cruelty, persistence and hope in the face of despair are an inspiration to us all; insists that their visionary insight be a guide and their opposition to all forms of violence should be a model for future generations; sends warm greetings to Mark Durkan and Mrs Brid Rodgers; and wishes them every success in their endeavours to continue and build upon the work of their illustrious predecessors.