When strident Irish nationalists and republicans were looking for evidence that former taoiseach John Bruton couldn't hold the line against the unionists or the British government, they often scoffed at Bruton's alleged admiration of John Redmond.
For many, Redmond was the Neville Chamberlain of Irish nationalism and Bruton's admiration of the one-time leader of the Irish Home Rule Party only served to call into question his own leadership credentials.
If we try to look dispassionately at the leadership of nationalism in Northern Ireland over the last thirty years, it is very difficult to pinpoint anybody other than John Hume as its undisputed leader. Gerry Adams, Martin Mc Guinness, Gerry Fitt and Seamus Mallon have all been prominent at various stages but nobody has dominated nationalism's northern leadership like Hume.
And yet, he barely ever made a claim to the title. In fact, one of Hume's most regularly used phrases is 'post-nationalism', a reference to our membership of the European Union and the theory that nationalism, in its atavistic, nation-statist sense, is no longer relevant given the UK and republic's membership of the EU.
While some in the SDLP may have hoped for a greener rallying cry to nationalists in Northern Ireland from Hume, particularly as Sinn Féin's stock began to rise, it never seemed to come. Hume has always been consistent with his 'post-nationalist' line and studiously avoided any reference in speeches and articles to his party's leadership of moderate Irish nationalism in Northern Ireland – even though the SDLP clearly held and still holds that position. But now, as SDLP members readily admit and election results clearly show, they have a real battle on their hands for the hearts and minds of the nationalist electorate here. The SDLP's main opponent is of course Sinn Féin but other opposition is potentially emerging.
Over the Christmas holiday break the Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, gave an interview to a Dublin Sunday newspaper where he mooted the possibility that Fianna Fail could also soon be contesting elections in Northern Ireland.
Ahern was careful not to say how this would happen. However, there would seem to be only two genuine possibilities. Either Fianna Fail organises from scratch in Northern Ireland or, it merges with a northern political party and is thereby given an instant foothold here.
In all likelihood, Fianna Fail would never contest an election against the SDLP but no doubt, Fianna Fail is looking north with concern, particularly following Sinn Féin's electoral gains in the Dail elections last year. It may be that Sinn Féin's ability to win seats north and south badly dented Fianna Fail's claim to be 'the' Republican party and fuelled a longer-term fear that its real political foe in the future will not be Fine Gael or Labour but Sinn Féin. It seems that Fianna Fail is keen to act now to try and nip the problem in the bud.
Meantime, the SDLP has changed leaders and changed language – Durkan now speaks of 'new' nationalism. And there has even been whispers within SDLP grass roots about a potential merger with Fianna Fail or with the Irish Labour party and at least an acknowledgement at leadership level that a realignment in nationalist politics on the island is afoot.
The backdrop to these discussions has been a Northern Ireland census which found that a nationalist majority (using the crude equation of Catholics and nationalists) is now effectively out of the picture and in the more immediate term, long and tortuous political negotiations that may or may not yield a deal and subsequent elections at the end of May.
So this is the context which faces Mark Durkan and one that prompted us in the Irish Association to ask the question: Where Now for Northern Nationalism? A question that Mark Durkan has the opportunity to answer in a seminar tomorrow morning where he will be accompanied by journalist and author Malachi O'Doherty.
Mark Durkan has been clever enough not to reveal a particular favourite amongst the pillars of Irish nationalism's past. Unlike John Bruton, we do not get an insight into the SDLP leader's thinking by judging him against the actions of a historical figure and yet the shadow of John Hume looms large over Durkan and in the coming months, Durkan's emergence as the new leader of moderate Irish nationalism in Northern Ireland will be truly put to the test.
