McLoughlin, P. J.P. J.McLoughlin2010-08-112010-08-11Nova South2008Peace and Conflict Studies1082-7307http://hdl.handle.net/10197/2347This paper explores the vital role played by the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) in the formulation of a new political discourse and conceptual approach to the Northern Ireland problem. In particular, it shows how John Hume, party leader through the 1980s and 1990s, helped to propagate this discourse, and in doing so influenced policy-making in London and Dublin, and thinking within the republican movement. Although the paper emphasises the importance of this influence, it concludes by considering the reasons why the Ulster unionist community have remained so unreceptive to the political discourse of Hume and the SDLP.164776 bytesapplication/pdfenSDLPJohn HumeNorthern IrelandConflictSocial Democratic and Labour Party (Northern Ireland)--InfluenceNorthern Ireland--Politics and governmentHume, John, 1937---InfluenceJournal Article15295114https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/1.0/