Stormont Assembly Elections 2017

[Main Street]

Possibly inspired by the spectacle of  the 2 punch drunk fighters (Haye and Bellew) kissing and cuddling at the end of a fight, after weeks of trash talking, we have Foster ("ready to lead her party in talks with Sinn Fein") and O'Neill ("an agreement won't be easy but is achievable") both prepared to parley, immediately.
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland-assembly-election/northern-ireland-election-results-im-not-quitting-vows-arlene-foster-35495537.html

[trileacman]

Anything to ensure the gravy train runs on time.

[Eamonnca1]

Newsletter Editorial yesterday.

2017 Less than one year ago this newspaper congratulated Arlene Foster on a stunning election win. We praised the decisive result she had achieved for unionism and heralded her leadership and the promise it showed for Northern Ireland. There is no question that as first minister in an absurd mandatory coalition system, alongside a party as unreliable as Sinn Fein, Mrs Foster was always in a difficult position. Since 1998 unionists have been told by London and Dublin that Sinn Fein must, no matter what it does, be in power, or else devolution is suspended for everyone. There is always the threat of joint authority if unionists do not play ball but never any threat of specific sanction against the IRA's political wing. But despite that context, it cannot be pretended today that this electoral outcome is anything other than a bad one for unionism. A 10-seat DUP lead over Sinn Fein has turned into a vanishingly small one of a single seat. A 36,000 DUP vote lead has turned into an 1,100 one. The lower seat margin is slightly mitigated by the fact that the number of seats has gone down, and so any majority in this parliament is proportionately larger than a margin of the same number of seats would have been in the last assembly. But the fact the UUP has had a poor election, when added to the DUP relative decline, raises serious questions about the future of unionism and how unionists should move ahead. Mike Nesbitt tried to do something new in politics but was constrained by the fact that he never seemed entirely to understand unionism and was not in a strong position to bring people with him in his comment that he would transfer to the SDLP. He deserves admiration but his comment was ill thought out and has merely contributed to some DUP losses and so he is right to resign. Mrs Foster must not now rush into any arrangement to prop up devolution. Direct rule under this present UK government is far preferable to hasty concessions to Sinn Fein. She is now the leader of unionism and has much to do – to mend fences within unionism, to present an attractive face to the world for pro-Union politics, and to help clear up the mess caused by RHI.

Read more at: http://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/opinion/foster-has-hard-work-ahead-as-she-returns-at-the-helm-of-ni-1-7850520

"Mandatory coalition" is better known as "power sharing." It's what the people voted for in the Good Friday Agreement. Get over it, you sniveling, whining little orange rag.

Nice of you to make at least some reference to RHI, even if you left it until a throwaway remark at the end.

[Minder]

Newsletter Editorial yesterday.

2017 Less than one year ago this newspaper congratulated Arlene Foster on a stunning election win. We praised the decisive result she had achieved for unionism and heralded her leadership and the promise it showed for Northern Ireland. There is no question that as first minister in an absurd mandatory coalition system, alongside a party as unreliable as Sinn Fein, Mrs Foster was always in a difficult position. Since 1998 unionists have been told by London and Dublin that Sinn Fein must, no matter what it does, be in power, or else devolution is suspended for everyone. There is always the threat of joint authority if unionists do not play ball but never any threat of specific sanction against the IRA's political wing. But despite that context, it cannot be pretended today that this electoral outcome is anything other than a bad one for unionism. A 10-seat DUP lead over Sinn Fein has turned into a vanishingly small one of a single seat. A 36,000 DUP vote lead has turned into an 1,100 one. The lower seat margin is slightly mitigated by the fact that the number of seats has gone down, and so any majority in this parliament is proportionately larger than a margin of the same number of seats would have been in the last assembly. But the fact the UUP has had a poor election, when added to the DUP relative decline, raises serious questions about the future of unionism and how unionists should move ahead. Mike Nesbitt tried to do something new in politics but was constrained by the fact that he never seemed entirely to understand unionism and was not in a strong position to bring people with him in his comment that he would transfer to the SDLP. He deserves admiration but his comment was ill thought out and has merely contributed to some DUP losses and so he is right to resign. Mrs Foster must not now rush into any arrangement to prop up devolution. Direct rule under this present UK government is far preferable to hasty concessions to Sinn Fein. She is now the leader of unionism and has much to do – to mend fences within unionism, to present an attractive face to the world for pro-Union politics, and to help clear up the mess caused by RHI.

Read more at: http://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/opinion/foster-has-hard-work-ahead-as-she-returns-at-the-helm-of-ni-1-7850520

"Mandatory coalition" is better known as "power sharing." It's what the people voted for in the Good Friday Agreement. Get over it, you sniveling, whining little orange rag.

Nice of you to make at least some reference to RHI, even if you left it until a throwaway remark at the end.

Em Eamonn it was Sam McBride of the Newsletter that did most of the digging into RHI, after the Spotlight programme. So to say they ignored it is bizarre

[haranguerer]

That editorial is ludicrous, safe to say Sam didn't write it (not that he doesn't write plenty of crap himself at times).

[Keyser soze]

The ludicrousity [new word alert] of that editorial in referring to SF as the IRA's political wing and the general tone and interpretation of the situation would seem to indicate that there haven't been many lessons learned by unionism in the last 40 years never mind the last week.

[Take Your Points]

That editorial is ludicrous, safe to say Sam didn't write it (not that he doesn't write plenty of crap himself at times).

Sam is the political editor and the paper's editorial is written by Alistair Bushe or Ben Lowry.

[johnneycool]

The ludicrousity [new word alert] of that editorial in referring to SF as the IRA's political wing and the general tone and interpretation of the situation would seem to indicate that there haven't been many lessons learned by unionism in the last 40 years never mind the last week.

Unionism has yet to accept its part in the 30 plus years of murder and mayhem that their misrule brought to the six counties hence the need for "an absurd mandatory coalition system" which Arlene and Co did their best to ride roughshod over the last few years.

[armaghniac]

Unionism has yet to accept its part in the 30 plus years of murder and mayhem that their misrule brought to the six counties hence the need for "an absurd mandatory coalition system" which Arlene and Co did their best to ride roughshod over the last few years.

Exactly. The "absurd mandatory coalition system" now puts the DUP back in whereas without it there might be an anti Brexit SF-SDLP-Alliance-Green coalition without any unionists at all. It seems that unionists never learn, and that if any individuals among them do learn that they are pushed out.

[AhNowRef]

Fantastic election .. topped off by wee Nasty Nelson getting his marching orders .. there is a God 

Well done Snarlene ... You're the best electioneer Nationalists have ever had ..

The thing I dont get is the absolute stupidity of the DUP .... How much longer will it take them to realise that if you treat you nationalist neighbours a little better, many of them will become apathetic re voting etc... but if you treat them badly (like you just did) they will get pissed and come out en masse ... This fact along with changing demographics should be enough to convince the DUP that they should be a little nicer ... or it will bite them in the bum .. which it just has ...
Go back to the 1960s and Terrence O'Neill "tried" to talk sense to the Unionist population but they kicked him out .. he had told them that if they treated catholics properly with decent housing, education & jobs etc.. they would behave like protestants    lol ... Sounds like a bit of a back handed compliment now but very forward thinking at the time ...  Carson also told them to not abuse their position ...

I guess they just cant help themselves 

[armaghniac]

Tom Elliot leading the UU negotiations, the guy is a Spurs supporter FFS.

[screenexile]

Just someone mentioning Sam McBride there I think his reporting and analysis of the election the past few months has been excellent!

Obviously has a lot of credible sources within the Unionist Community and gives a good insight into the other side.

[JPGJOHNNYG]

The 1986 drop in nationalist vote was indeed post anglo-irish agreement when the Unionists bizarrely resigned their seats in protest but then stood for election. The nationalists only stood in a few seats where they had a slight chance of a gain and indeed Mallon won his seat in Newry and Armagh that year.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Ireland_by-elections,_1986

[theskull1]

"Gerry Adams says unionist majority 'demolished'"


Does anyone else think the likes of Gerry Adams using this type of language will cause a negative reaction within the middle ground of unionism and is therefore unhelpful? More consistent statesmen like language and reasoned positions in regard to dealing with the DUP would be much better received I would say. 

[ashman]

Irish politicans , nay all politicians , tend to gloat a lot after  victories .  It can often lead to utter hubris that backfires .  Witness FF in 1997 and 2007 and FG and particularly Labour in 2011.