Election 2005

Jenny McCartney accepts what looks like an inevitable outcome to this election. But she can’t quite get her head round the fact that “innumerable people with a moral sense in other aspects of their lives – who could safely be entrusted with a neighbour’s house keys, say, and wouldn’t dream of breaking their marriage vows – will nonetheless vote Sinn Fein on Thursday, and thus tacitly endorse the continuation of IRA armed robbery, extortion, money-laundering, smuggling, assault and murder”.She can …

Read more…

Joseph O’Malley concludes that with the DUP and Sinn Fein riding towards a victory, there is little prospect of any release from the deadlock in the short term: One party, the DUP, has opposed the Agreement throughout, and vowed to replace it, at least until Ian Paisley first scented the whiff of power, following the UUP’s electoral setback in 2003.By December, the DUP was only a photograph awayfrom office. The other party, Sinn Fein, has defaulted on its obligations to …

Read more…

Possibly not good news for the moderate middle ground parties, but Barry White, a long time supporter of both the peace process and the Belfast Agreement is not sanguine about the likely outcome, and believes that dulled expectations of the outcome will not encourage the moderate vote to stay engaged in politics. Yes, it seems to me we’re headed for another bad election, from the point of view of the “decent” people who want results, not more windbaggery. In a …

Read more…

Human Rights poster ‘banned’ Independent Human Rights candidate in West Belfast Liam Kennedy’s campaign posters have been vetoed by the advertising company on whose billboards the posters were due to appear – despite the image being used previously by the NIO and being cleared for use on his campaign’s postal communication. A spokesman for JC Decaux, said: “While the company fully understands that the posters in question relate to human rights, on reviewing the images we felt that they were …

Read more…

Dolores Kelly Dolores Kelly is running for the SDLP in Trimble’s Upper Bann constituency. Last time out she came in fourth place with 7,607 or 14.9% of the vote – some way behind Sinn Fein’s Dara O’Hagan. O’Hagan is not running this time. Locally at least she sees some signs of improvement.In previous years they couldn’t get anyone from the Garvaghy Road to run for them. This year they have Elaine Sterrit, a 23 year old newly qualified nurse running. …

Read more…

Kate Hoey’s endorsement Pete Baker has used his scanner to bring us the news that Labour backbencher Kate Hoey has endorsed the DUP challenger in Fermanagh South Tyrone. 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

Picking up two way traffic Lamp posts here are festooned with an array of posters of all shapes and sizes. And they are having an effect, even on the very young. One proud grandmother told Slugger about three year old Lucy who calls out the candidates names as she passes them: Naomi Long, Gerry Kelly, Reg Empey, and David Olderdice. “And there’s Peter Robinson – sure he’s everywhere!” We’re starting our own collection of posters. If you have a digital …

Read more…

Last night I paid my first visit to the Upper Bann constituency, starting in Lurgan with the SDLP, then onto the affluent Portadown Killycomaine Road area with the DUP and then finally got lost in the Drumlin country that holds such towns as Gilford, Lawrencetown, Magheralin, Blackscull and even Waringstown in a vain attempt to catch up with David Trimble in Donaghcloney. By the time I got there it was getting dark, and himself and the UUP canvassers had gone …

Read more…

The Sinn Féin Website carries a speech by Mitchel McLoughlin, Real and lasting peace is the most important issue facing the Irish people today, given at the launch of Westminster election manifesto, available to download in pdf form here.Ananova quotes Gerry Adams on the manifesto, Sinn Fein launches manifesto, “We’re interested in persuading people on the basis of this. “It argues for initiatives, for example, like Westminster MPs should have the right to go to the Dail (the Irish Republic’s …

Read more…

The one candidate, two constituencies argument is one that the UUP have been trying to float for some time now, and it looks like it has found some leverage in the press. Dan McGinn reports on David Burnside’s attack on two of the DUP’s highest profile members – Gregory Campbell and Willie McCrea. The issue is hardly likely to be central in voters minds. But can an MP who is MP and Councillor in two entirely different areas really serve …

Read more…

Mark Durkan was the last of all the party leaders interviewed on Hearts and Minds last night. Is it just me, or has he lost weight recently? That may have something to do with the amount shoe leather he’s worn out on doorsteps around Northern Ireland. The strongest line was clearly aimed at the apathetic: “all that happens when you vote Sinn Fein is that you get more arrogance from Sinn Fein and more complacency from the IRA”. He’s more …

Read more…

ALLIANCE is now considering calling in the police to investigate suspected UUP dirty tricks, as further links between the Ulster Unionists and a disputed leaflet are uncovered. Belfast Gonzosluggerotoole.com

THE BBC reports that there has been a record number of applications for postal votes. 33,000 have registered – 10,000 up on the 2004 European election and the 2003 Assembly election. A response to the annual registration process, or cause for concern about fraud?The BBC reported: The SDLP say they have come across cases of people who have given what they believed was a postal application form to a political party, but have then found the form switched to an …

Read more…

Adrian Eastwood told Slugger this morning that his company has taken 10s of thousands of pounds backing Northern Ireland’s political parties. The big money is following three DUP candidates: David Simpson (Upper Bann); Willie McCrea (South Antrim); and Jimmy Spratt (South Belfast). These are often joined in accumulator bets with lower priced Sammy Wilson and Conor Murphy of Sinn Fein. So, to an extent, betting is an apolitical activity.Aside from a single punt of £2500 for the UUP (to take …

Read more…

Few people do knock on doors in opposing territories. Though, Alex Attwood said yesterday that the SDLP has been canvassing in Unionist Ballygomartin since 1987. The Irish Voice argues that Trimble’s inability to sell the Belfast Agreement to his own supporters may lose him the benevolent help of Catholic voters in his Upper Bann consitituency.Gerry Moriarty in his election diary today (subs needed) notes a speech from Seamus Mallon, one time Deputy First Minister: He seemed to offer a coded …

Read more…

The Belfast Telegraph this morning reports that the Alliance Party have reported the UUP to the Electoral Commission over accusaions of dirty tricks surrounding a leaflet recently distributed in key Alliance Party areas. This is the leaflet which Roy Beggs recently denied any UUP involvement in during the recent UTV Insight election debate.The leaflet (front and back) purports to have been produced by ‘Concerned Citizens for a Shared Future’ which uses a PO Box as its contact address. However, suspicion …

Read more…

THE DUP will be up for a post-election deal, Gerry Adams believes. And if they aren’t, Sinn Fein seems to be hinting that the ball will be in the two governments’ court – perhaps a suggestion that a future SF fallback position will be to push for joint authority in the event of a negotiating failure. However, Peter Robinson’s post-election plans are different – to bring about unionist unity, he says.Paisley seems to agree, which might confirm to some what …

Read more…

From the UUP Press Office this evening: “Canvass returns undertaken by the Party point to a clear Unionist lead for Mr McGimpsey. But according to the raw data the SDLP are also close behind him due to a split Unionist vote. The news from the ground in South Belfast confirms the findings of the NIO’s private poll, which has also indicated a strong lead for McGimpsey ahead of the DUP”. That’s a bit different from what we’ve been getting from …

Read more…

The DUP are concentrating their Upper Bann battle on Banbridge, Co Down, the Trimble heartland. Of 25,000 leaflets they distributed pre-election a large majority were targetted on the town. They believe if they can only just edge ahead there then the UUP leader, who signed up to the historic (in whichever sense of the word you prefer) Belfast Agreement, will lose his seat. We hope to bring you several reports from both sides of this fascinating battle in the constituency …

Read more…

Time to Go – end paramilitary control – began this morning, before most (but not all) journalists were ready to get out from their beds. Those who did make it, were Liam Kennedy (the Independent who organised it), Alex Attwood (SDLP), Chris McGimpsey (UUP), John Lowry (Worker’s Party). David Ervine did not show, but offered to debate punishment shootings in his own East Belfast constituency. Diane Dodds apparently had a school run to complete. Gerry Adams didn’t reply to his …

Read more…