Gerry Fitt was a key political figure in Northern Ireland for over twenty years, yet there is no major historical evaluation of his contribution, nor of his legacy or place in the memory of the minority community there. Fitt played a central role in creating the identity of the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) as a socialist party. Yet, he noted that he was often in an 'unhappy minority of one' over many issues and at times the relationship between himself and his party colleagues was 'very uneasy'. Drawing on unpublished party and private papers, recently released Irish and British government papers, and interviews, this book is the first academic study of the role of Gerry Fitt in the politics of the SDLP and will examine the first decade of the party through the lens of his leadership.

Sarah Campbell

1. The plough and the tricolour: Gerry Fitt and the evolution of nationalist politics in Northern Ireland, 1959-69 2. 'A varied and diverse bunch' - the birth of the SDLP 3. 'Impaled on a hook': internment and civil disobedience 4. Bombs and barricades: the road to Sunningdale 5. The politics of compromise: the Sunningdale Agreement (September - December 1973) 6. 'Trundling' Unionists into a united Ireland? The power-sharing executive in operation 7. Pidgin politics 8. 'The British must govern or go...': The greening of the SDLP Conclusion: in a minority of one? Bibliography Index