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Northern Ireland election

Election 07 graphic

Running Mates?

  • Mark Devenport
  • 16 Feb 07, 05:34 PM

No, not Garbhan Downey's new book about a fictional Irish Presidential Election, although I am enjoying it at the moment.

Instead this is a reference to South Antrim where my colleague Gareth Gordon has been getting a sense of what's happening on the street. It will be a close race, especially for the last seat. But the tensions he discovered between the parties was nothing compared to the tensions between the two SDLP candidates, Thomas Burns and Noreen McClelland. One of the notable aspects of multi-member constituency elections is that they can lead to battles between candidates on the same slate. South Antrim isn't the only seat marked by a frisson between supposed running mates. Theoretically each party should smoothly manage its votes across a constituency, but sometimes in this dog eat dog world, picking the lamppost where you want to put your poster up can be enough to raise a few snarls...

Comments   Post your comment

  • 1.
  • At 06:29 PM on 16 Feb 2007,
  • alan watson wrote:

Mark
Why is everyone hiding the fact that the DUP moved their Breakfast Briefing on Wed morning from the Ramada Hotel, when they found out that the Transgender conference was also planned be held there at the same time?
alan

MARK REPLIES: Alan I got this into a cartoon round up of the campaign I did for Hearts and Minds last week. A few newspapers reported it as well...

  • 2.
  • At 08:22 PM on 16 Feb 2007,
  • Gavin Bamford wrote:

Hi Mark, looking forward to reading your thoughts on what would happen if SF were the top party? Would they give up First Minister and offer it to DUP? But then are the First Minister and Deputy First Minister posts not equal status? Sorry, more questions? What is Gerry Adams ambition? Why does he not want a top post in the NI executive? Is he going to try for Irish President in a few years? Cheers, Gavin

MARK REPLIES: HI Gavin, Don't think SF would give up the top job, but I'd be very surprised if it came to that - there is still a big gap to close between them and the DUP.

Would not be surprised if Gerry Adams goes for the Presidency at some stage...

  • 3.
  • At 10:09 PM on 16 Feb 2007,
  • For future elections wrote:

Should be vote one or two in order of your choice when running two candidates to leave it up to the electorate. Parties should not assume that one candidate will win the seat over and above the other - let the electorate decide and be truly democratic!
Political parties take note.

MARK REPLIES: The parties suggest who you should put your first preference against and so on. But clearly it is up to the voter in the privacy of the polling booth to decide who they want to vote for and in which order

  • 4.
  • At 12:43 AM on 19 Feb 2007,
  • voice4democracy wrote:

Mark your comments are extremely interesting about the battle within the SDLP in South Antrim. It has been widely noted that there is some friction between this camp.

The question in the South Antrim election is as you state who will get that last seat? Is this a race between Ford and McLaughlin?

The final remark about South Antrim is how the Unionist vote will fair. With Bob McCartney entering the race will the DUP lose the potential seat they are aiming for? (good interview with Bob McCartney at www.voice4democracyni.blogspot.com)

  • 5.
  • At 07:27 PM on 19 Feb 2007,
  • jackie mcgarry wrote:

can't paisley see the UK want to get rid of us. not that I mind, it should be a hole Ireland. I wonder how blair talks to him? I would love to be a fly on the wall listening. Yes I hate paisley but someone similar will replease him so I don't wish him dead. Does anyone else hate him and want all ireland?
jackie,

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