Colum Eastwood

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Colum Eastwood
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Eastwood in 2014
Leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party
Assumed office
14 November 2015
Preceded by Alasdair McDonnell
Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly
for Foyle
Assumed office
2011
Preceded by Pól Callaghan
Personal details
Born (1983-04-30) 30 April 1983 (age 41)
Derry, Northern Ireland
Nationality Irish
Political party SDLP
Spouse(s) Rachael
Children Rosa
Alma mater University of Liverpool
Religion Roman Catholicism

Colum Eastwood (born 30 April 1983) is an Irish nationalist politician who has been Leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) since 2015. He was elected to the Northern Ireland Assembly in 2011.[1]

Political career

Eastwood was elected to Derry City Council in 2005, and elected for a one-year term as Mayor of Derry in June 2010. Aged 27, he was the youngest mayor of the city to date.[2]

Following his election to the Northern Ireland Assembly in May 2011, Eastwood was appointed SDLP representative on the committee of the Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister. He sits on the Northern Ireland Assembly committees on Standards and Privileges, and the Environment. He is the youngest SDLP member of the Northern Ireland Assembly.[3] In 2012 he drew criticism from Unionists including Jim Allister after carrying the coffin at the paramilitary funeral of a former Irish National Liberation Army member in Derry. A masked Real Irish Republican Army gunman fired a volley of shots over the coffin,although Eastwood stated he was not present at the time of the gunfire. He defended his attendance at the funeral saying the deceased was a personal friend of his and added "I wasn't concerned at the time about who was standing beside me, or about what flag or otherwise was draped over the coffin."[4][5] It later emerged that party colleague Mark H. Durkan also attended the funeral.[6]

On 14 November 2015, Eastwood contested the leadership election held at the SDLP's annual conference. He beat the incumbent, Alasdair McDonnell, by 172 votes to 133.[3]

Views

When "a serving British soldier... 'desecrated' the memory of those who died on Bloody Sunday by posting an “offensive” slogan on the internet," Colum Eastwood claimed the soldier should be removed from the army without delay[7]

References

  1. BBC News – Election 2011
  2. Derry City Council
  3. 3.0 3.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. "MLA criticised for role at funeral where shots fired" Derry Journal 20 April 2012
  5. "Colum Eastwood defends decision to carry coffin of friend Seamus Coyle" BBC News 20 April 2012
  6. "Colum Eastwood moved in SDLP Stormont shuffle" BBC News 22 April 2012
  7. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
Political offices
Preceded by
Paul Fleming
Mayor of Derry
2010 to 2011
Succeeded by
Maurice Devenney
Preceded by Leader of the SDLP
2015 to present
Incumbent
Northern Ireland Assembly
Preceded by MLA for Foyle
2011 to present
Incumbent