The '''Social Democratic and Labour Party''' ('''SDLP''') is a constitutional nationalist political party of [[Northern Ireland]] and for most of the period since its foundation in 1970 was the main party of the nationalist ([[Catholic]]) population. Although the SDLP has as one aim a united [[Ireland]] it has maintained a principled opposition to the use of [[terrorist]] violence to achieve political ends, and its activists and supporters have suffered violence and intimidation by the [[IRA]] and [[Sinn Fein]]. The party was led between 1970 and 1979 by [[Gerry Fit]], and between 1979 and 2001 by [[John Hume]]. Since 2001 the leader of the SDLP has been Mark Durkan, [[MP]] for the Foyle constituency. | The '''Social Democratic and Labour Party''' ('''SDLP''') is a constitutional nationalist political party of [[Northern Ireland]] and for most of the period since its foundation in 1970 was the main party of the nationalist ([[Catholic]]) population. Although the SDLP has as one aim a united [[Ireland]] it has maintained a principled opposition to the use of [[terrorist]] violence to achieve political ends, and its activists and supporters have suffered violence and intimidation by the [[IRA]] and [[Sinn Fein]]. The party was led between 1970 and 1979 by [[Gerry Fit]], and between 1979 and 2001 by [[John Hume]]. Since 2001 the leader of the SDLP has been Mark Durkan, [[MP]] for the Foyle constituency. |