ae17 – Page 4 – Slugger O'Toole

#SluggerReport: No SF money harmed over Brexit and #AE17 Upper Bann/Newry Armagh

Mick Fealty on February 6, 2017, 8:37 pm

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Here’s last Thursday’s SluggerReport. It kicks off with comment on that SF did not register as a ‘registered campaigner’ story. It has been pointed out that individuals in SF did campaign against Brexit, and some appeared on GUE/NGL posters. They may even have spent up to £10k. But as a named party they were nowhere to be seen. And for Upper Bann: In May, Carla Lockhart got 7,993, several hundred above 7615, putting the DUP on 1.86 quotas. By contrast, the two UUP …

SDLP Campaign Launch puts Upper Bann firmly in their sights

David McCann on February 6, 2017, 1:22 pm

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The SDLP launched their campaign in Lurgan today with party leader Colum Eastwood setting out the party’s stall for the upcoming election. Eastwood did not mention other particular constituencies, but did spend time speaking about Upper Bann, which until last May was held by Dolores Kelly until Catherine Seeley from Sinn Fein won the seat. Here is what he had to say; Before addressing the continuing campaign that lies before us in the next few weeks, I would like say …

Foster: “Are you serious? You think the DUP should implement an Irish Language Act?”

David McCann on February 6, 2017, 12:57 pm

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It was a tale of two campaign launches this morning as the DUP and Sinn Fein launched their campaigns for the upcoming election. The DUP Leader, Arlene Foster was asked about her party’s policy on an Irish Language Act and her response was swift and decisive. She compared the implementing of one to “feeding a crocodile” which would simply see more demands made for Unionism However, Michelle O’Neill at the Waterfromt Hall was not taking the bait; Asked about …

Gemma Weir: We Need A Socialist Alternative

Soapbox on February 6, 2017, 10:34 am

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Gemma Weir is the Workers Party candidate for North Belfast This election is unnecessary and will solve absolutely nothing unless people use it to pass judgement on all the parties in Stormont. The two Executive parties in particular – the DUP and Sinn Fein – have been irresponsible, arrogant and contemptuous. Returning them to power to do the same thing again makes no sense at all. People point to the RHI scandal and say that it sums up the problems with the …

“if unionism fails to live up to the values that were established nearly 100 years ago by Edward Carson”

Mick Fealty on February 6, 2017, 7:51 am

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I’ve got a feeling we’re going to see some real campaigning in this electio, not just the going through motions thing we’ve seen in the first three since the restart in 2007. Mike Nesbitt in The News Letter: “If you go back to Carson, in 1920 as this country was being developed, Carson stood up in the Commons and said ‘you’ll only succeed if there are no factions, no sections’. “You’ll only succeed if you have got good government, fair government …

Candidates running in #ae17 Part 2

David McCann on February 5, 2017, 12:50 pm

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In my first installment I focused on the parties running across Northern Ireland, here are some of the other parties running in a few constituencies. People Before Profit (6 candidates) West Belfast- Gerry Carroll, Michael Collins North Belfast- Fiona Ferguson Foyle-Eamonn McCann South Belfast- Pádraigín Mervyn South Antrim- Ivanka Antova Workers Party (4 candidates) North Belfast-Gemma Weir South Belfast- Lily Kerr West Belfast- Conor Campbell Mid Ulster-Hugh Scullion Traditional Unionist Voice (13 candidates) North Antrim-Jim Allister, Timothy Gaston Lagan Valley-Sammy …

Candidates for #AE17

David McCann on February 2, 2017, 9:22 pm

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This is not a total list but I thought I would begin with some of the main parties running across all of the 18 constituencies. DUP- (38 candidates) North Belfast-Paula Bradley, Nelson McCausland, William Humphreys West Belfast-Frank McCoubrey South Belfast-Emma Pengelly and Christopher Stalford East Belfast- Robin Newton, Joanne Bunting, David Douglas North Down- Gordon Dunne, Alex Easton Strangford- Michelle McIlveen, Simon Hamilton, Peter Weir Lagan Valley- Brenda Hale, Paul Givan, Edwin Poots Upper Bann- Jonathan Buckley, Carla Lockhart South …

#SluggerReport: Trump and grown up politics, and #AE17 in South Belfast and North Down

Mick Fealty on February 1, 2017, 6:45 am

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So yesterday’s #SluggerReport featured commentary on the Trump issue (and should Kenny and/or May protest, in the former’s case not go to the Whitehouse for March 17th). Kevin Meagher on Labour Uncut nails it for me: We need to properly accept that Brexit means we are living in an age of realpolitik. Idealists who want to wag their fingers at Donald Trump are free to do so; but they should not pretend this is anything other than idle posturing. Britain is …

The last bastion of Ulster Unionism in Belfast is teetering on the brink…

Stephen Warke on January 31, 2017, 5:01 pm

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At it’s zenith – possibly due to what some might call the electoral dividends of delivering peace in Northern Ireland – the UUP polled 25,272 across the 4 Belfast Constituencies, polling 9,620 and 9,533 in East and South Belfast respectively. However, by 2007, the UUP had shed over 10,000 votes in the Belfast Area with sharp declines in East and South Belfast bringing the vote share across Belfast to 15,145. Just last May, the UUP share had fallen to it’s …

“‘Marlene’ seemed like marital bliss, albeit a one-sided relationship…”

Mick Fealty on January 31, 2017, 6:44 am

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Important perspective from Tom Kelly in the Irish News yesterday, as the sectarian tensions are racked up by the big two (or the old firm as we might call them?)… As embarrassing as the RHI scheme is from a governance point of view, that it happened is normal within administrations which get lazy, arrogant and complacent. Following the assembly elections in May 2016, both the DUP and Sinn Féin felt they were unassailable from a political point of view. …

Time to affirm the equality of the offices of First and deputy First Minister?

Daithi McKay on January 30, 2017, 6:42 am

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‘Only the DUP stands in the way of a Sinn Féin First Minister’ exclaims a Democratic Unionist leaflet regarding the forthcoming Assembly election. It comes complete with a bar graph that shows a small 5 percentage margin between the two parties. At first glance one would think that it referred to the number of seats each party holds – which of course shows a much wider gap of 10 seats. This is of course crude dog-whistle politics. And it works. Last …

#AE17 Gossip: Gerry Mullan to stand as an independent in East Londonderry…

Mick Fealty on January 29, 2017, 6:08 pm

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Unconfirmed as yet, but Slugger understands that Gerry Mullan, the retiring MLA is planning to launch his candidacy in East Londonderry after being deselected in favour of the previous incumbent John Dallat… Less certainly, it might be an idea to keep an eye on the party in South Belfast for how the second candidate Naomh Gallagher does (edited). We're well into the election campaign in South Belfast for our two fab candidates @ClaireHanna and @naomhgallagher 😁 #AE17 https://t.co/HKc6YOO4sV — Siobhán McAlister …

Trouble at Alliance’s (Lisburn and) Castlereagh mill…

Mick Fealty on January 27, 2017, 6:47 am

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Alliance leading change banner

Oh dear. Going to war election is causing all manner of ruckles inside various political parties, even Alliance. Two councillors Geraldine Rice and Vasundhara Kamble have left the party over allegations of racism and ageism. Rice goes back a long way with Alliance. It’s true, as she says, she played a rearguard action in Peter Robinson’s small state model of a local council in Castlereagh from her first election in 1989 as a local champion for Carryduff (when John D …

#AE17 #SluggerReport: SF’s “snap election” to get DUP off the RHI hook, and a Mid Ulster profile

Mick Fealty on January 26, 2017, 2:59 pm

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So in today’s #SluggerReport, three main points: Will the DUP pay for the RHI scandal? There’s always events dear boy, but SF’s snap election eight months after the last one, helps bury it. No opposition party is ready to either exploit this story yet, or fight an election. So too does Hamilton’s rescue plan (passed by the Assembly this week). O’Muilleoir’s belated calling of a Public Inquiry (which now take six months, not the many years he previously predicted) too. The DUP’s …

Will the (good old) St Andrews Agreement come to Arlene’s rescue?

Mick Fealty on January 26, 2017, 10:20 am

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I’m not on social media (for the purposes of the job and the time that’s in Slugger’s the single exception) for this week. Out in solidarity with a younger member of the family who is doing it through school. It’s liberating to be relieved of the urge to share or express an opinion every passing piece of flotsam or jetsam (however fleeting) as it goes past. But I thought this was a good question from Alex Kane to fetch out …

#AE17 Snippets: All Change within the DUP

David McCann on January 25, 2017, 9:02 pm

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Today has seen more movements within the DUP David Douglas (son of Sammy) will stand for the DUP in East Belfast. The party have also confirmed that the current Speaker Robin Newton is also running again which means the party are aiming to retain their 3 seats. The Education Minister, Peter Weir is on the move as he is standing in the place of Jonathan Bell in Strongford, moving from his old constituency of North Down. DUP Councillor, Jonathan Buckley …

The question being asked, he said, is: “Why are you up there [in Stormont]?”

Mick Fealty on January 25, 2017, 2:59 pm

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Highly insightful reporting and analysis from Brian Rowan in the Irish Times on Monday re the current rumblings inside Sinn Fein and its leadership class of old IRA men, which (if we’re lucky) will raise serious internal questions about direction of the project: Republicans are now questioning the worth of the Stormont institutions and a decade-long relationship with the DUP at the head of the Northern Ireland Executive. This was the mood inside the Felons Club that Saturday in January. Within hours, …

#AE17 Snippets: Alastair Ross steps down in East Antrim for the DUP

Mick Fealty on January 25, 2017, 8:36 am

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It seems sensible to run occasional snippets pieces for the wee bits and pieces that might otherwise get missed: So we kick off with the news tonight that Alastair Ross is stepping down after ten years in the Assembly. No big mystery. As a five-seater the DUP have just over 2 quotas from May. And as clear backmarker, Ross steps out. Dallat of the SDLP comes back in as a runner in East Londonderry pushing his successor Gerry Mullan out. …

#AE17 #SluggerReport: FST confirms the Opposition will be forced to walk through treacle in this election

Mick Fealty on January 24, 2017, 12:47 pm

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So here’s the first SluggerReport in a while (complete with comedy tie incident in the first few seconds). Subjects include: The judgement of the UK Supreme Court in the matter of the sovereignty of the Westminster Parliament over whether it has to be consulted before Article 50 or afterwards, which was a Government loss. And more positively for Mrs May, confirmation that sovereignty is not ceded to the devolved nations in the matter of whether the UK as a whole …

UUP MLA Ross Hussey steps down in West Tyrone on grounds of health…

Mick Fealty on January 23, 2017, 5:40 pm

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Slugger understands that Mr Hussey has been in a state of uncertainty since the calling of this snap election. The UUP have just released this statement, saying he has… …advised the party leadership of his intention not to seek re-election to the NI Assembly due to his deteriorating health. He is currently awaiting surgery and accepts that the period of time required to recover from the surgery will be substantial which would make it difficult for him to manage his …