There obviously won’t be any pact between the SDLP and Sinn Féin anytime soon and the latest comments from Michelle O’Neill and Colum Eastwood reaffirm their party positions. Eastwood is keeping one eye to the unionist voters in Foyle and especially South Down that will be considering voting strategically for his party to keep Sinn Féin out. A pact with republicans may scare the horses. No pact is good news for the SDLP in South Down and Foyle, less so …
The Sinn Fein Leader in the North, Michelle O’Neill has made a proposal towards the SDLP that is almost certain to be rejected. I am calling therefore on the SDLP to give a clear run to John Finucane and Michelle Gildernew as the only credible anti-Brexit, pro equality and pro-rights candidates in North Belfast and Fermanagh South Tyrone.” O’Neill is asking for the SDLP to stand aside in North Belfast and Fermanagh/South Tyrone. In both the SDLP have little chance …
From the BBC’S Mark Devenport; DUP leader Arlene Foster and UUP leader Robin Swann said they would continue to discuss better unionist co-operation beyond the election. But they could not agree on an overall pact, despite the parties already deciding against splitting the unionist vote in some key constituencies. The report continues quoting both leaders; “Both of our parties want to see the strongest possible vote for pro-union candidates standing in all of the 18 constituencies across Northern Ireland,” they …
There’s a scene in the Tom Cruise epic, ‘The Last Samurai,’ where the main characters – noble samurai (as the film title suggests) – charge the battlefield against the Western-trained forces of the Japanese Emperor. One by one, these brave warriors are cut down by machine-gun fire. Their swords and bows and arrow useless against the latest military technology of the time. They know they face near certain death, but honour and belief drives them forward. This final battle signifies …
The results are in and the Local Government outcomes in Scotland, Wales and (much of) England are no great surprise. Beyond Hadrian’s Wall Labour lost their majority on Glasgow City Council after nearly 40 years dominance. Well over 100 Scottish council seats turned Conservative blue, the majority of which were previously rose-red. There are two competing Indyref2 narratives in Scotland at the moment. One that the Tory revival is somehow a defeat for the SNP and their call for a …
Chris had a piece up this morning about whether a Nationalist/Remain understanding was still possible for the upcoming elections. Following on from his post I contacted the SDLP to see if the party were going to stand in the various constituencies across the North and the response I received from a party spokesman is below; The SDLP sought to bring together a broad coalition of parties and candidates to maximise the pro-Europe mandate in Northern Ireland. When it was clear …
Steven Agnew is the Leader of the Green Party Northern Ireland. The Green Party is committed to putting people first. This means securing a referendum on the final Brexit deal, protecting our public services and ensuring that equality extends to all our citizens. “There is nothing to win in this process – and I am talking about both sides. In essence this is about damage control.” EC president Donald Tusk I share the bleak assessment of Donald Tusk in this …
Former Sinn Fein Vice President and MP for West Tyrone since 2001, Pat Doherty has announced he will not seek re-election. His successor will be local MLA, Barry McElduff, who will be defending a majority of 10,060 votes that the party achieved at the 2015 election. So far the confirmed candidates are, Daniel McCrossan of the SDLP and Alicia Clarke of the UUP. David McCannDavid McCann holds a PhD in North-South relations from University of Ulster. You can follow him …
After visiting The Queen, Theresa May fired the opening shots of the campaign from the steps of Downing Street with what has stunned even some Brexiters. UK PM Theresa May accuses EU politicians and officials of seeking to influence the result of #GE2017https://t.co/6dQPV7H3Wcpic.twitter.com/MT4YiQsVdz — BBC Breaking News (@BBCBreaking) May 3, 2017 David McCannDavid McCann holds a PhD in North-South relations from University of Ulster. You can follow him on twitter @dmcbfs
The former UKIP Leader, Nigel Farage thinks that the EU is stoking Irish Nationalism EU are stoking Irish nationalism to make Brexit negotiations difficult. Their behaviour is contemptible. pic.twitter.com/0FFjuEnlS7 — Nigel Farage (@Nigel_Farage) May 2, 2017 David McCannDavid McCann holds a PhD in North-South relations from University of Ulster. You can follow him on twitter @dmcbfs
Interesting article from the Irish News Political Correspondent, John Manley on the People Before Profit MLA and Westminster candidate, Gerry Carroll’s views on Brexit. From the article Many commentators attributed the decline in the People Before Profit representative’s vote to his pro-Brexit stance. But now Mr Carroll has said he will fight the general election on an “anti-Tory Brexit” ticket. He told The Irish News his party was as opposed to “Theresa May’s Tory Brexit” as it was to the …
I decided to get over my FOMO and steer clear of social media when I was off for a week over Easter. Given I hadn’t heard any news or picked up a newspaper I allowed myself two minutes on Twitter – only to find that we were heading for yet another election. Seriously Mrs May! I love an election and exercising my hard-won democratic right to vote as much as the next person, but further polarising the country is not …
The Orange Order has issue a statement today urging the Unionist parties to show “unity of purpose” The Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland recognises the critical importance and huge significance of the forthcoming General Election. As the United Kingdom commences the process of exiting the European Union it is essential a purposeful and stable Government is elected to act on behalf of, and deliver the best possible deal, for its citizens. Equally, it is of the utmost importance that Northern …
So is this election about Brexit? In fact, it is much more about each of the parties and their direct needs. Mrs May, seemingly unassailable in England and Wales is using it to break back into Scotland, and it will double nicely as that second referendum the Blairites have been calling for. The 48% will become considerably less than it has been since the election. In Northern Ireland, the demise of the majority Remain opinion is almost assured. Brian Feeney thinks …
The short lived attempt to build a Pro-Remain coalition of sorts has now ended with the Greens pulling the plug and the failure of the other parties to agree on independent candidates. Alliance who were out of the traps early opposing the pact delivered an unusually strong criticism towards the Green Party over even entertaining such a prospect. Initial Thoughts I was a supporter of some arrangement that brought together Pro-Remain forces in some shape or form. This would have …
The wheels have finally come off the wagon for a pact between the pro-Remain forces as the Green Party Leader, Steven Agnew has said his party will not be joining any pact with any other parties. The North Down MLA said: “The Green Party will not enter into a pact for the forthcoming Westminster election. “The decision has followed discussion amongst party members and our party Executive. We also met with the SDLP, Sinn Fein and the UUP as parties …
Many Labour activists can ill afford to believe what’s almost certainly on its way. But if this poll is anything to go by it may pay a huge price for shifting so far to the left in Wales, even as much of their vote was heading for UKIP ahead of English trends in the Senedd… Analysis by @roger_scully > 'Sensational' poll suggests Tories could end Labour majority in Wales https://t.co/goBZwPRfed — Adrian Masters (@adrianmasters84) April 24, 2017 To put this …
The move towards a DUP-UUP pact for the Westminster has already begun and, depending on how far the two parties are willing to go and the absence of any other pacts this could be a good election for unionism in terms of the total number of MPs returned. A successful unionist pact could deliver as many as 11 out of the 18 seats, their best joint return in 20 years. It could also see the return of 3 Unionist MPs …
The UUP have confirmed they will stand aside in North Belfast, as well as West Belfast and Foyle. This effectively clears the way for the DUP Deputy Leader, Nigel Dodds to keep the seat, if the other parties don’t come to some sort of arrangement. Speaking about the election the party leader, Robin Swann said; “The General Election has been called and we have moved quickly to put Ulster Unionist Party candidates in the strongest possible position in advance of …
This could be a watershed election, in the local context it could be the most important at a Westminster level since 1918. Northern Ireland holds just 18 out of 650 MPs and even in a hung parliament environment it can be difficult to get gain traction. What we lack in voting power, we have a potential to make up for in a strong signal being sent by the wider electorate. The dynamics of the race here are actually relatively simple, …
