BURNSIDE will definitely be OUT of South Antrim, according to reliable sources… Former Assembly Deputy Speaker Donovan McClelland (SDLP) will apparently struggle to even get back an Antrim Council seat… Lady Hermon will retain North Down with Alliance voters’ assistance – although the vote may well come back in the Council vote… Belfast Gonzosluggerotoole.com
West Belfast imminent. Turnout 65.33, down from 69.9%. Some of the boxes contain up to 98% votes for Gerry Adams. Radio Ulster’s unoffical tally: Adams 24,348 Attwood, 5,500 3,363 for Dodds and 750 for Chris McGimpsey! Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is a regular guest and speaking events across Ireland, the UK and Europe. Twitter: @MickFealty
There’s talk of a DUP landslide in East Antrim. No further detail. Battleground remains: Foyle and Upper Bann, which may be decided on cross community tactical voting; South Belfast; and possibly North Down where turn out is said to be around 55%. Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is a regular guest and speaking events across Ireland, the UK and Europe. Twitter: …
Just heard on RTE, that Sinn Fein thinks that they may have lost only about 200 votes in the wake of the murder of Robert McCartney. Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is a regular guest and speaking events across Ireland, the UK and Europe. Twitter: @MickFealty
Sinn Fein has told RTE that Michelle Gildernew is about 2000 votes ahead of her nearest candidate. But no word yet on the arguably more important in the Fermanagh South Tyrone. Turnout is about 70%. Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is a regular guest and speaking events across Ireland, the UK and Europe. Twitter: @MickFealty
Foyle is too close to call. The turnout is high, but we don’t yet have a reliable figure for that. Willie Hay the DUP’s man in Foyle told Radio Ulster that his vote has held up but that many unionists have voted on the basis of ‘anybody but McLaughlin – but it’s too early to say how much’. There’s an unofficial estimate that it may be up 1000 DUP supporters. Can Durkan do it? We don’t know. But check out …
No sooner had the Tory leader Michael Howard officially conceded defeat than he began talking about the next Tory leader. He has stated that he will stand down before the next general election, because at 67/68 he said he would be too old.. hmmm.. local parties take note. However he will only step aside after changes are made to party rules on how the leader is elected.. rules that were changed by William Hague to widen out the decision to …
We had a rumour in earlier that fake ballots had been discovered in Newry. It turns out that this was simply people using some of the sample ballot papers given them by party activists to show them how to vote, instead of the validated paper. Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is a regular guest and speaking events across Ireland, the UK …
The verifification process is going particularly well in South Antrim. Looks like they could be on schedule to call first in mid afternoon. DUP are confident, and the local UUP are keeping very quiet. One footnote, the UUP press team went out for a meal together last night. We’ll see later on if that was a well deserved break or an early compensation for what may have been a last meal in the restaurant at the end of the Universe! …
Interesting read out from Henry McDonald, who reckons, that Trimble lived in fear of Blair’s big majority. He thinks it will give the DUP (who most now believe will clean up most of the Unionist seats today) occasional but potentially crucial traction in key votes. The expected transition to Gordon Browne towards the end of this next term is one that the DUP looks forward to with relish. McDonald remarks “we are not in the territory of phoney Tony anymore. …
Blair looks to be back with a reduced majority. But in Northern Ireland everyone is sitting on their hands waiting for the real count to begin. At the moment inside they are going through the local government boxes, to make sure that none of the Westminster slips have gone in there by mistake. As one insider told Slugger, “it’s always tempting to go outside City Hall, stand close to group of journalists and talk loudly into your mobile phone and …
‘GORGEOUS’ George Galloway wins for the anti-war Respect party; a blow for Tony Blair… Ex-NIO security minister Adam Ingram holds his seat, and is jeered by anti-war protesters… Education Secretary Ruth Kelly, who is from Limavady, holds her seat after her office was attacked by members of the protest group Fathers 4 Justice… NIO minister John Spellar holds on comfortably despite a 6.1% drop in the share of his vote… Same story with Ian Pearson, whose share falls 4.5%… Angela …
TONY Blair is giving his victory speech. His Sedgefield majority was up, and he’ll be up celebrating tonight. After his breakfast with former BBC NI political correspondent and election blogger Mark Simpson this morning, I’m sure he’ll be able to keep going. It’s been a long day.The BBC reported: Speaking as he was returned on an increased majority in Sedgefield, Mr Blair said it was clear that “the British people wanted to return a Labour government but with a reduced …
I’m off home now. The verification of the votes will take most of the morning tomorrow, so don’t expect anything sensible before one or two in the afternoon. And the results may take us well into the evening! See youse then. In the meantime, please post any good information you have on how it went in your area?! Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider …
The polls are closing and people trickle home. There’s lots of stories doing the rounds. Most journalists think it’s going to go wht way bookies had it and we may find that some of the so-called tight races are not quite as tight as we thought. Of the previously condemned, it looks to us that Mark Durkan is most likely to get his nose in front.The poor turnout at Trimble’s voting photo op this morning indicates that most journalists believe …
WRITING in the Indo, Damian Corless is yet another neutral who appears to have put his faith in Trimble, but now sees him as a busted flush. He argues that “it’s hard to whip up sympathy for a UUP that might soon be receiving the last rites, because the Ulster Unionists have done little to cultivate the sympathies of neutrals. An innate mean-spiritedness has made the party hard to warm to, even after its move towards a softer stance in …
Sinn Fein don’t play softball in elections. One SDLP campaigner in West Belfast told Slugger this afternoon that when they were canvassing in Beechmount on the Falls the other day, they sent a van round to blare out Sinn Fein election messages. The convention with other parties, she told Slugger is that the first team in an area stays and the other leaves, “there’s nothing worse than calling at house that’s just been called at.” And when it comes to …
The Belfast Telegraph as a report on the early action at the polling stations. The weather seems to be the biggest factor today. We are hearing that polling is relatively quick in Portadown and slow in Banbridge. That news is not going to be a comfort to David Trimble. Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is a regular guest and speaking events …
Unusually for Gerry Adams, he announced where he was going to vote. Duly a large group of journos showed up. When Slugger arrived Bairbre de Bruin was giving an interview in French with AFP. When Gerry they joined up and proceeded to the count speaking for the most part in Irish. Bairbre did most of the talking.Afterwards Adams put some emphasis on the party’s aspiration of achieving a united Ireland, but emphasised that “democracy would be a good idea of …
Micky Reg & Me Speculation is useless. But whoever put this skit together obviously thinks there may only be two UUP Westminster seats come some time late time tomorrow. Most of these guys will be glad to see the end of what’s been a tough election road, that didn’t start well (with Michael Copeland’s office being searched). McGimpsey is by temperament and by background a businessman. He was drawn into politics through his involvement in the peace movement. He seems …
