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Books
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Books: Listening to Van Morrison…
Great little review of Listening to Van Morrison by Griel Marcus… It’s a short book, not a biography or a career survey, but an attempt to follow those moments in Morrison’s music, as he’s made it from his first records with Them, from Belfast in 1965 to the present day, when something happens that breaks [...] read our review »
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What Ireland did right (and what it needs to do)…
It is difficult to believe now that one country recently sent 19 delegations to Ireland to study how well our economy was managed. The revelation that our model of economic management featured positively in political and economic discussion in countries including Estonia, Greece and Scotland may also come as a surprise. As we survey the [...] read our review »
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Turas, by Colin Neill – a story of strangers in a strange land
Colin Neill’s first novel Turas peeks into a world in which many Ulster Protestants feel uncomfortable. It’s 2020 and the Irish unification that unionists and loyalists confidently predicted would never happen has become a reality. President Adams is ensconced in Phoenix Park. The newsreader reported that … a short ceremony at Stormont had confirmed the [...] read our review »
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Comment on Where next for the Ulster Unionist Party?
on 6 January 2011 at 6:37 pm
That makes it ok then.
So Michael, what are your assembly predictions this time round. All UUP candidates elected on the 1st count?
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Comment on Where next for the Ulster Unionist Party?
on 6 January 2011 at 3:42 pm
dwatch. You appear to grasp what Ian James Parsley cannot. The 4 from East Londonderry were all office holders in the association, and bear in mind that there’s nothing to stop other East Londonderry members being a HQ nominee. This process places an inordinate amount of power into the hands of a few locals.
Cushy Glenn. Both Campbell’s DUP running mates are of very poor quality, but that didn’t stop them before. The last seat is unionist, or possibly alliance (Nicholas Whyte tends to overcall their chances).
If the DUP balanced poorly with Campbell on say 20%, McQuillan on 7% and Robinson on about 11% then there was a reasonable chance that the UUP or TUV could have sneaked the last seat. I don’t see where TUV would get any transfers, but the UUP could perhaps have expected half the alliance vote and a reasonable chunk of TUV’s which could overtake Adrain.
(East Londonderry is an area where I have a feeling that TUV’s votes are equally or more likely to come from the UUP than DUP)
But Michael Shilliday is right. They were given a chance of two and fcuked it up!
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Comment on Where next for the Ulster Unionist Party?
on 5 January 2011 at 8:58 pm
Your point number 2 is accurate, but it is also the reason McClarty is making no sense. He says he was knifed “locally”, yet actually he wasn’t.
Ian, I believe that the committee was composed for four from the association and 3 from HQ. It holds therefore that one or two local people who managed to secure a place on such a committee could plunge the knife into the sitting MLA, especially if there was a score to settle.
Hope I cleared up your mistake there.
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Comment on Where next for the Ulster Unionist Party?
on 5 January 2011 at 5:06 pm
McClartys livelihood is in the hands of (say) a maximum of 120 people at a selection convention
Not true.
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Comment on Where next for the Ulster Unionist Party?
on 5 January 2011 at 5:04 pm
At the end of the day elected members need to ensure they maintain sufficient support from their own local membership, for whatever reason David has failed I don’t know, but ladies and gentlemen thats how democracy works.
This, Drumlins Rock is absolute dogs’ egestive matter.
1. David McClarty topped the members’ vote in the constituency by a country mile.
2. It was a panel of members, (4 from the association and 3 from HQ I believe) that deselected him/
3. Democracy is an absent ingredient from UUP selection meetings.
cushyglen, who I assume lives up the Windy hill road somewhere seems one of the more reliable contributors to this thread.
FJH: The last seat is up in the air in EL. It won’t go nationalist though and sure as frig won’t go SDLP. Smart money, DUP hold unto 3.
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Comment on Do not mourn the octopus
on 27 October 2010 at 9:06 pm
Often a butt of size-ist abuse from the DUP.
Eh ?
Don’t get this one.
And much abuse from his own Party…in true AP fashion.
Eh ?
They were pretty bad to him while he was leader.
Gerry Lynch……hmmm I suppose AP could hold the seat if they can persuade Mr Lynch to stay at home and keep him away from doorstep canvassing.
Double-eh ?
This one actually makes perfect sense.
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Comment on Fermanagh South Tyrone election reaches court
on 13 September 2010 at 3:14 pm
This should be interesting but my guess is that the courts will not want to rock the boat. Just as the courts decreed electoral rules counted for nothing in 2001 they will mean nothing today.
On a side note, does anyone remember on what technicality Gerry Malone got the general election in Winchester deemed ineligible, when he was defeated by Mark Oaten by the even slimmer margin of 2.
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Comment on 2011 Northern Ireland Assembly election
on 6 September 2010 at 11:58 pm
Fine Paddy. Just make up the numbers. Why stop at one nationalist quota. Give them 5 out of 6
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Comment on 2011 Northern Ireland Assembly election
on 6 September 2010 at 3:19 pm
Surely a reasonable and mature compromise in Northern Ireland’s best interest would be out of the question
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Comment on 2011 Northern Ireland Assembly election
on 6 September 2010 at 2:30 pm
TUV Alliance Green Sinn Fein and DUP sound about right.
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