6 County Assembly Elections - 5th May 2022

[marty34]

Noicola seems to be in trouble in NB, according to twitter sources.

Early days though and too early to say.

I actually thought she should have been more prominent in the debates than Eastwood, who wasn't even standing.

Funny after voting yesterday evening a few friends came down to our house and we were talking about who we voted for. Nicola was 4th or 5th on all our ballot papers. SDLP have run a very poor campaign and by focusing on attacking SF instead of running a positive campaign they have suffered a back lash. I suspect Justin McNulty might be in diffs too. Eastwood may have run his course.

In reality, there's no difference between SDLP and Alliance.

[brokencrossbar1]

One of the counting is being carried out at UUJ, can you just call in or is it invited people only? 5 minute walk from the house, wouldn't mind seeing the sht show unfold for some lol

Tell them yer kind of a big deal on the Gaaboard that should get ye in 😃

I'll mention that 

Ah I'll just take the dogs down then for a nosey

Dogs at polling stations being replaced by dogs at counting stations!

Was expecting more at the polling station in respects to flegs and rival parties torturing people going in and asking who ya voted or on the way out like in the past, wasn't the same, I didn't even see a peeler

Not allowed to. They have to be very careful how many people are around the country place.

Noicola seems to be in trouble in NB, according to twitter sources.

Early days though and too early to say.

I actually thought she should have been more prominent in the debates than Eastwood, who wasn't even standing.

Funny after voting yesterday evening a few friends came down to our house and we were talking about who we voted for. Nicola was 4th or 5th on all our ballot papers. SDLP have run a very poor campaign and by focusing on attacking SF instead of running a positive campaign they have suffered a back lash. I suspect Justin McNulty might be in diffs too. Eastwood may have run his course.

In reality, there's no difference between SDLP and Alliance.

Agreed

[Saffrongael]

Noicola seems to be in trouble in NB, according to twitter sources.

Early days though and too early to say.

I actually thought she should have been more prominent in the debates than Eastwood, who wasn't even standing.

Funny after voting yesterday evening a few friends came down to our house and we were talking about who we voted for. Nicola was 4th or 5th on all our ballot papers. SDLP have run a very poor campaign and by focusing on attacking SF instead of running a positive campaign they have suffered a back lash. I suspect Justin McNulty might be in diffs too. Eastwood may have run his course.

Would you not look at someone who is a minister and incumbent MLA and judge them on that (good or bad) as opposed to what Colum Eastwood has said, or the general tone of the SDLP campaign. Are people not voting Mallon to punish Eastwood for example ?

[tbrick18]

Noicola seems to be in trouble in NB, according to twitter sources.

Early days though and too early to say.

I actually thought she should have been more prominent in the debates than Eastwood, who wasn't even standing.

Funny after voting yesterday evening a few friends came down to our house and we were talking about who we voted for. Nicola was 4th or 5th on all our ballot papers. SDLP have run a very poor campaign and by focusing on attacking SF instead of running a positive campaign they have suffered a back lash. I suspect Justin McNulty might be in diffs too. Eastwood may have run his course.

In reality, there's no difference between SDLP and Alliance.

Long vs Eastwood....I know who I believe to be the more credible politician.
SDLP make such a big deal about being anti-SF that its nearly impossible for a SF voter to transfer a vote to them.
It's a shame Alliance cant get into First/deputy first minister roles as they don't designate as unionist/nationalist. If they finished up being the 2nd largest party above DUP, they couldn't get DFM post unless they designate as unionist (assuming SF are the largest party).

[Mourne Red]

One of the counting is being carried out at UUJ, can you just call in or is it invited people only? 5 minute walk from the house, wouldn't mind seeing the sht show unfold for some lol

Tell them yer kind of a big deal on the Gaaboard that should get ye in 😃

I'll mention that 

Ah I'll just take the dogs down then for a nosey

Dogs at polling stations being replaced by dogs at counting stations!

Was expecting more at the polling station in respects to flegs and rival parties torturing people going in and asking who ya voted or on the way out like in the past, wasn't the same, I didn't even see a peeler

SF where the only ones outside when my other half went to vote then when I went later on in the day SF and Alliance outside

[Nanderson]

Noicola seems to be in trouble in NB, according to twitter sources.

Early days though and too early to say.

I actually thought she should have been more prominent in the debates than Eastwood, who wasn't even standing.

Funny after voting yesterday evening a few friends came down to our house and we were talking about who we voted for. Nicola was 4th or 5th on all our ballot papers. SDLP have run a very poor campaign and by focusing on attacking SF instead of running a positive campaign they have suffered a back lash. I suspect Justin McNulty might be in diffs too. Eastwood may have run his course.

In reality, there's no difference between SDLP and Alliance.

Long vs Eastwood....I know who I believe to be the more credible politician.
SDLP make such a big deal about being anti-SF that its nearly impossible for a SF voter to transfer a vote to them.
It's a shame Alliance cant get into First/deputy first minister roles as they don't designate as unionist/nationalist. If they finished up being the 2nd largest party above DUP, they couldn't get DFM post unless they designate as unionist (assuming SF are the largest party).

The other way would be if 'neutral' voters outweigh unionist votes then 'neutral' becomes the second largest denomination and they can put forward a deputy first minister

[Armagh18]

Noicola seems to be in trouble in NB, according to twitter sources.

Early days though and too early to say.

I actually thought she should have been more prominent in the debates than Eastwood, who wasn't even standing.

Funny after voting yesterday evening a few friends came down to our house and we were talking about who we voted for. Nicola was 4th or 5th on all our ballot papers. SDLP have run a very poor campaign and by focusing on attacking SF instead of running a positive campaign they have suffered a back lash. I suspect Justin McNulty might be in diffs too. Eastwood may have run his course.

In reality, there's no difference between SDLP and Alliance.

Long vs Eastwood....I know who I believe to be the more credible politician.
SDLP make such a big deal about being anti-SF that its nearly impossible for a SF voter to transfer a vote to them.
It's a shame Alliance cant get into First/deputy first minister roles as they don't designate as unionist/nationalist. If they finished up being the 2nd largest party above DUP, they couldn't get DFM post unless they designate as unionist (assuming SF are the largest party).

The other way would be if 'neutral' voters outweigh unionist votes then 'neutral' becomes the second largest denomination and they can put forward a deputy first minister

Yeah this needs to happen

[brokencrossbar1]

Noicola seems to be in trouble in NB, according to twitter sources.

Early days though and too early to say.

I actually thought she should have been more prominent in the debates than Eastwood, who wasn't even standing.

Funny after voting yesterday evening a few friends came down to our house and we were talking about who we voted for. Nicola was 4th or 5th on all our ballot papers. SDLP have run a very poor campaign and by focusing on attacking SF instead of running a positive campaign they have suffered a back lash. I suspect Justin McNulty might be in diffs too. Eastwood may have run his course.

Would you not look at someone who is a minister and incumbent MLA and judge them on that (good or bad) as opposed to what Colum Eastwood has said, or the general tone of the SDLP campaign. Are people not voting Mallon to punish Eastwood for example ?

We still voted for Mallon but further down the ballot that maybe she would have. Have been disappointed with SDLP as a whole and gave the votes to people who came to the door and addressed questions that we had. This was from the Greens and Alliance party.

[whitegoodman]

A lot of commentators on social media were raving about Eastwoods performance on both tv debates.

Does this suggest the debates are completely irrelevant or are people either voting for SF to merely beat DUP or thinking Alliance is the better alternative ?

[Snapchap]

Not a good day so far for the SDLP. As some have said (and as I've been saying for weeks) their tactic of attacking SF at every turn was just astonishingly naïve. SF voters should have been low hanging fruit for SDLP transfers but Colum Eastwood's strategy seemed to have been to turn SF voters off giving his party a transfer. Absolute lunacy. I've no doubt that them canvassing alongside a constant stream of FG/FG/Lab TDs did nothing to endear them to nationalist/republican voters. There's a healthy cynicism (to put it mildly) in northern nationalism for FF/FG/Lab TD's and their use/abuse of the north when it suits them and on social media it was fairly plain to be seen that parading a succession of these TDs around the doorsteps was another deeply misguided strategy. It'll be a major kick in the teeth for them to lose Nicola Mallon if that's how it turns out but I suspect their biggest cold sweat will be at the seeming collapse of their vote in South Down - one of their two traditional strongholds. Makes you suspect that they have another problem specific to that constituency - my own guess being that people in the area have been turned off by their former SDLP MP Margaret Richie now sitting in the house of lords and calling herself Barroness Ritchie.

Elsewhere, SF look like they will come through relatively happy - looking good to hold two seats in Foyle where many predicted a loss. Stephen Donnelly of Alliance seemingly polling well in West Tyrone which could come at the expense of SF's third seat, that of Maolíosa McHugh.

[tbrick18]

Noicola seems to be in trouble in NB, according to twitter sources.

Early days though and too early to say.

I actually thought she should have been more prominent in the debates than Eastwood, who wasn't even standing.

Funny after voting yesterday evening a few friends came down to our house and we were talking about who we voted for. Nicola was 4th or 5th on all our ballot papers. SDLP have run a very poor campaign and by focusing on attacking SF instead of running a positive campaign they have suffered a back lash. I suspect Justin McNulty might be in diffs too. Eastwood may have run his course.

In reality, there's no difference between SDLP and Alliance.

Long vs Eastwood....I know who I believe to be the more credible politician.
SDLP make such a big deal about being anti-SF that its nearly impossible for a SF voter to transfer a vote to them.
It's a shame Alliance cant get into First/deputy first minister roles as they don't designate as unionist/nationalist. If they finished up being the 2nd largest party above DUP, they couldn't get DFM post unless they designate as unionist (assuming SF are the largest party).

The other way would be if 'neutral' voters outweigh unionist votes then 'neutral' becomes the second largest denomination and they can put forward a deputy first minister

I like that idea. It would probably require a change to the GFA legislation though.

[Armagh18]

Not a good day so far for the SDLP. As some have said (and as I've been saying for weeks) their tactic of attacking SF at every turn was just astonishingly naïve. SF voters should have been low hanging fruit for SDLP transfers but Colum Eastwood's strategy seemed to have been to turn SF voters off giving his party a transfer. Absolute lunacy. I've no doubt that them canvassing alongside a constant stream of FG/FG/Lab TDs did nothing to endear them to nationalist/republican voters. There's a healthy cynicism (to put it mildly) in northern nationalism for FF/FG/Lab TD's and their use/abuse of the north when it suits them and on social media it was fairly plain to be seen that parading a succession of these TDs around the doorsteps was another deeply misguided strategy. It'll be a major kick in the teeth for them to lose Nicola Mallon if that's how it turns out but I suspect their biggest cold sweat will be at the seeming collapse of their vote in South Down - one of their two traditional strongholds. Makes you suspect that they have another problem specific to that constituency - my own guess being that people in the area have been turned off by their former SDLP MP Margaret Richie now sitting in the house of lords and calling herself Barroness Ritchie.

Elsewhere, SF look like they will come through relatively happy - looking good to hold two seats in Foyle where many predicted a loss. Stephen Donnelly of Alliance seemingly polling well in West Tyrone which could come at the expense of SF's third seat, that of Maolíosa McHugh.

Would be great for them to hold 3 in Newry and Armagh. Agree totally re the SDLP. If they'd put the olive branch out and try to work alongside SF instead of trying to attack them at every turn I would have given McNulty a transfer higher up, as it was I think he was one of my last preferences.

[Snapchap]

Some big names looking in big trouble:

SDLP's only minister, Nicola Mallon (SDLP)
Former DUP Education Minister, Peter Weir (DUP)
Former UUP Leader, Mike Nesbitt (UUP)
Green Party Leader, Clare Bailey

Believe it or not reports that the BBC NI's darling, UUP leader Doug Beattie, is polling very badly in Upper Bann. That being said, I'd be very surprised if he doesn't get in.

[balladmaker]

A lot of commentators on social media were raving about Eastwoods performance on both tv debates.

Does this suggest the debates are completely irrelevant or are people either voting for SF to merely beat DUP or thinking Alliance is the better alternative ?

I think that's a big part of it ... SF are within touching distance of being the first nationalist First Minister, that allure is enough to have small 'n' nationalists give them their vote on this occasion.

[imtommygunn]

The debates happen in the few days up to election when it's nearly too late. People have their mind made up by then. Tbh these things should be regular.