East Londonderry Constituency Profile – Assembly Elections 2022…

This chart clearly shows a shift from unionists to others over the last two elections in East Londonderry. But the shifts at the party level have been even more dramatic: The DUP benefit substantially from tactical votes in Westminster elections, even though there is no doubt that they will win. SF has been on a sharp downward slope since 2017, to the obvious benefit of the SDLP which even finished a whisker above them. The long-term slow decline of the …

Read more…

“Still, I think the name Londonderry should be kept on there somewhere.”

So the boundary commission’s proposals are going down badly with Unionists. Hardly surprising since as Nicholas Whyte notes, the changes are likely to have a negative impact on both UU seats in Fermanagh South Tyrone and South Antrim.  North West Belfast looks vulnerable for the DUP. In a reshuffle that in many ways harks after old county boundaries the one that most resembles old County Londonderry is to be given an odd name change, Glenshane, in the process abolishing Londonderry and making …

Read more…

Independent unionist ‘gentleman’ MLA David McClarty dies

Coleraine man and MLA for East Londonderry constituency, David McClarty has died, aged 63. An independent unionist MLA since 2011 when he successfully fought off competition from the two candidates selected by UCUNF, he had previously been a member of the UUP and a served as a UUP MLA between 1998 and 2010. By not rejoining the UUP group after the May 2011 election, the UUP lost the opportunity for a second Executive seat (which went to Alliance). He served …

Read more…