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Ah right wasn't aware of all that. Labour may perhaps pull Alliance votes or engage younger voters. Maybe.
Mo Mowlan was quite popular as secretary of state and labour.
Unfortunately Westminster has a bad habit of appointing secretary of states that have a habit of not engaging with the wider Ni population. She bucked that trend from what I know.
JWestland
I really don't see it.
I don't think Labour could progress in Northern Ireland without first apologising to the population for not giving a shit.
And not giving a shit at a time when NI was so obviously the least equitable place in the UK. I know you're not supposed to bring up history and I think talking in terms of Northern Ireland's problems as historical is demeaning and misleading BUT while the civil rights movement was entirely non-violent, centre-left and leftist, somewhat working class movement which was attracting some cross-community support, Labour refused to engage. (There's that Barbara Castle quote where she tells this young Labour MP -Paul Rose- there are perfectly good problems in Palestine and South Africa without getting his hands dirty with Ulster.)
And then the failure to see that the strike against power sharing did have elements of the left in it, that they were people you could talk to rather than vilify or dismiss.
And then Roy Mason.
The Greens, sure; they're a clean slate. But I don't think Labour could show up and say 'Hi guys' and expect things to go well.