Issue 17 Organising the SDLP: Gerry Cosgrove

gerry cosgrove

As part of the series on the staff and structures of Northern Ireland’s main political parties, agendaNi met with the SDLP’s General Secretary, Gerry Cosgrove.

Gerry Cosgrove has been one of the longest-serving administrators in local political circles. In her current role as General Secretary of the SDLP she has responsibility for the overall management and day-to-day running of the party. The party apparatus, under Gerry’s management, is organised into four units: election planning, communications, policy and administration. There is a total of 16 staff based at party headquarters on Belfast’s Lower Ormeau Road.

Gerry started working for the SDLP in September 1972 as secretary to the General Secretary, which she says: “sounds very grandiose but there was only the General Secretary and two administrators.” Over the years she worked in a series of administration roles within the party which included short career breaks around the birth of her five children. In 1990 she became the party’s General Secretary and has held the post since then.

As the party machine has grown she has taken on more responsibility. She confesses to being one of life’s worriers and has “always worried that things are running smoothly to deadlines but now the worries are actually my own.” Although Cosgrove admits the role has become more demanding she says: “When you have an interest in politics, it is never a nine-to-five job. You always believe in what you are doing and that has always been important to me.”

Reflecting on the changes she has seen in local politics over the past 35 years she has been working for the party, Cosgrove says: “When I came into the SDLP in 1972 the Troubles were at their worst. The big priority then was to get the killings stopped. Now the institutions are settling down and are dealing with the more bread and butter issues. In the early days we were still trying to work on such everyday issues but we were not in a position to deliver on them. Now, being in government, we are in a position to make a difference to people’s lives.”

Although the complement of staff has grown significantly, the SDLP remains a very tightly knit group that is still focused on a number of core issues. She says: “We are a relatively small party with 16 MLAs – two of them MPs along with Eddie McGrady – and a Minister. Margaret [Ritchie] is in one of the departments which is close to the SDLP’s heart. We grew out of the civil rights movement. Housing was an issue then and is still a big issue.”

Election time

Election time is a major event for any political party with even by-elections requiring the mobilisation of all the party’s resources. Cosgrove thinks it is a time when political parties operate at their best: “Elections are a very busy time. It is also an exciting time and sometimes frustrating and annoying. You have to make sure you have the right messages out there and that your literature is in place for your people.” When asked if the new election regulations that have been in place since 2001 have made things more bureaucratic, she replies: “Making sure that the party meets its legal requirements at election time is very important but I have always liked to get things right. I am one of those people who go in by the ‘in’ door and out by the ‘exit’ door.”

Having been involved in elections since 1973, Cosgrove says that the process has now become much more professional. She adds: “There are now set procedures and plans in place. Things are certainly much more professional and all the parties have upped their game, particularly with regard to the quality of election literature. The electorate now expects something much more presentable.”

Party conference time

Another major event for political party administrators is the annual party conference. Cosgrove again looks forward to this peak of activity. She says: “The annual conference is something I absolutely love, even in the worst days. It is a project you start and see through to the finish. It is when the party headquarters is on show, so that the membership can see the party at its best.” She continues: “Unlike the other parties we have always held a three-day conference covering a wider range of issues, not just constitutional issues, and the conference produces papers on these issues. There is also a social aspect to bringing all the membership together. The conferences are good craic and [have] late nights.”

Political life

Being around politicians for over three decades, Cosgrove thinks that they do not always get the press they deserve. She says: “I am not a politician but involved in politics. Politics gets a bad name, but I have found that most people go into politics for the right reasons. They go into politics to make a difference. Irish politics has always been passionate, which often means that family comes second. As you get older you think about these things – although if I was doing it again I would probably do exactly the same – [and realise] you missed out on that side of life. But I would now like to spend more time with my grandchildren.” When asked what she likes about working for a political party, Cosgrove replies: “You can make a difference to people’s lives. You wouldn’t do it if you didn’t think that.” As for dislikes, she says: “The long hours and weekend work”.

Women in politics

Although Cosgrove believes that it appears to be not such a high profile issue now, she would like to see more women involved in politics: “There is not much talk about this issue now, which is unfortunate. I would like to see more women coming forward. Women are more reticent about politics and there is still a confidence issue.”

Gerry stood for election herself in 1987 in a local council by-election in the Lower Falls area of Belfast. She says that there was not much prospect of taking the seat but it was important to get the party vote out.

She found she did not enjoy the whole experience and recounts one meeting on the canvass trail during the campaign: “I was very fussy about the photograph and I didn’t like canvassing for myself, supporting myself.