The first preference votes are now in, and over half the 108 seats have now been allocated. There has been no dramatic shift of support from the parties, and at least 11 of the 18 constituencies will return the same mix of MLAs as they did in 2011. But two themes are emerging for me. First, the vote for all of the established parties is down. Down only slightly, 0.7%-0.8% for the DUP, UUP and Alliance, who will each return …
Hot off the press – why spend ages searching for the Northern Ireland elections website on wifi, when you can download all the most relevant bits to your Kindle, phone or tablet for less than £3? Each constituency chapter contains: A map A description of which local government districts intersect with the constituency Basic demographic information from the 2011 census What happened in the previous Assembly elections in 1998, 2003, 2007 and 2011 What I think might happen this time …
Whatever is going on in the undergrowth of wider party Slugger hears an interesting whisper from South Down, where we understand that sitting SDLP MLA Karen McKevitt has made it known she will not be seeking re-election in the next Assembly election. It’s thought that the daughter of former SDLP MLA PJ Bradley, Sinead, will stand in her stead. It’s also considered likely that Downpatrick based (and former shortlisted Slugger Awardee) Colin McGrath will stand in the north of the constituency alongside …
This excellent wee paper from the Assembly, reminds me I still have to write a post election profile for the DUP and the Greens… In the meantime it seems the SDLP is the largest recipient of other peoples’ transfers, but it is SDLP voters who are most resistant to voting away from home… The SDLP received the highest number of transfer votes from other parties; Sinn Féin received the lowest number of transfer votes from other parties; The highest number …
When it comes to the Assembly elections it will be useful to have appropriate hashtags for Twitter. Some already write themselves. Fermanagh South Tyrone is already shorthanded to #FST, though it could probably bear some testing to see there’s no obvious replications. Here’s a list of opening suggestions. If you object to any of them, please offer an alternative: North Belfast – #NBel South Belfast – #SBel West Belfast – #WBel East Belfast – #EBel North Down – #NDown South …
Political parties have been slowly announcing their council and Assembly candidates ahead of May’s elections. This morning, the DUP are announcing their full slate of Assembly candidates, which includes two MPs. There will be interest in the three man DUP line up for East Belfast. The party’s council candidates attracted attention a couple of weeks ago as Orangeman and Belfast County Grand Master Tom Haire displaced an irate David Rodway in the Victoria ward. The East Belfast Assembly candidates are: …
