Big spend didn’t guarantee success in Euro poll

The big winner of the European Election was the Alliance’s Naomi Long who managed to increase her party’s share of the vote by from 7.1% five years ago to 18.5%, winning a seat from the Ulster Unionists. For the other parties it was a mixed bag: Sinn Féin only took the third seat having taken the first seat in the previous two elections; the SDLP thought they could win back the seat they lost in 2004 but didn’t even come …

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Naomi Long to stand in the European Election

The Alliance Party Leader, Naomi Long will stand in the European Election. Speaking about her nomination she said; “I am passionate about the EU and the enormous benefits it has brought not only to us in Northern Ireland, but also right across these islands and more widely across Europe over many decades. Maintaining stability, co-operation and collaboration at that level is absolutely vital to our future,2 she said. “The chaos and uncertainty created by Brexit has impacted every aspect of …

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Jim Nicholson will not run for re-election

Story broken by the News Letter’s political editor, Sam McBride; “I said a few weeks ago that it was time to hand the baton on and that is still my belief. Therefore I won`t be putting my name forward to seek selection as the Ulster Unionist Party`s candidate in the forthcoming European elections.” Continuing he told the News Letter I worked with Ian Paisley and John Hume to secure peace funding from Europe and it’s something of which I am …

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Alliance and Anna Lo: if you are explaining, you are losing

Political party conferences and the run up to them prior to an election always seek to promote the party’s candidates. This year’s Alliance conference and its lead up has, however, gone less than wholly according to plan. Anna Lo’s revelation that she would support a united Ireland in the longer term has been a major story as have her comments likening the situation here to one of colonialism. There are of course explanations for these comments especially Lo’s support for …

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McCann meets… Alex Attwood MLA

I met with the SDLP’s candidate for the upcoming European elections, Alex Attwood up at Stormont to discuss his views on Europe, Nationalism, SDLP and the Executive.   When we began, Alex told me about the impact that his parents, particularly his mother had on his politics of looking after others and standing up for the democratic way of doing things. These values that he was taught as a child informed his later choices as a student when he joined …

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