Late night at the Waterfront
Ahead of last night's Ulster Unionist leadership election some had predicted that the result would depend on the number of buses arriving from Fermanagh to back Tom Elliott. At least five coaches showed up. But as the margin of Mr Elliott's victory by more than 68% to 31% showed, he drew support from many areas outside his home patch.
The Fermanagh MLA said his Lagan Valley rival Basil McCrea had annoyed him, made him laugh and made him cry during their leadership contest. But he has now pledged to unite the liberal and traditional wings of the party, ensuring it will not be a "cold house" for Mr McCrea's liberal supporters.
Although he has dumped the UCUNF experiment, Mr Elliott hasn't written off the notion of some kind of relationship with the Conservatives. Questioned about his remarks on GAA and gay events, he characterised the controversy as a non issue, arguing that local Gaelic clubs in Fermanagh knew he was prepared to work on their behalf. As proof that his mindset doesn't stop at the border, Mr Elliott said he had received a message from a Fine Gael politician wishing him luck, but declined to name him.
The criticism made by Mr Elliott's supporters during the campaign was that Basil McCrea might have a glib tongue and an easy manner on the media, but lacked real substance. The challenge for Mr Elliott will now be to communicate his values and vision in a more compelling manner, not just to the Ulster Unionist grassroots, but to the wider unionist electorate. The battle to succeed Sir Reg Empey may be over, but the Ulster Unionists face a far tougher task in attempting to prove they remain relevant and trying to recover the ground the party has lost to the DUP over the last 12 years.
P.S. With more than a thousand taking part, it was undeniably a good turnout. But one activist reckoned there would be an even bigger attendance when he returns to the Waterfront Hall on December 27th. The activist is the former Upper Bann Westminster candidate, Harry Hamilton, who will return to the Waterfront as "Flash Harry" for a Christmas Queen tribute show.
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