Sinn Fein? They have gone away, you know.

[theticklemister]

'.... And bless wishes to all the wains born today'

Mcguinness

[armaghniac]

The SNP is everything SF isn't, they are really bringing Scottish interests forward.

[general_lee]

The SNP is everything SF isn't, they are really bringing Scottish interests forward.

SNP have a better electorate to work with in fairness.

[Pub Bore]

Man shot dead in Belfast this morning.  Early reports suggest the victim is former senior IRA man Gerard Davison.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-32590282

[bcarrier]

Hardly a surprise McNulty doing OK on the doorsteps but unionists running a single candidate complicates things for him. Possbility of a perfectly split "green" vote gives Danny Kennedy a better chance than 33/1s on offer with William Hill.

Newry and Armagh profile here

http://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/ni-election-constituency-profile-of-newry-and-armagh-1.2186569

[Maguire01]

There was a mention of this in another thread, but this really is the mask slipping. So much for 'Catholic, Protestant and Dissenter'.

Election 2015: Sinn Féin accused over North Belfast 'sectarian leaflet'
4 May 2015

Sinn Féin is facing criticism for publishing election material in North Belfast showing the religious breakdown of the constituency.
The leaflet was published by candidate Gerry Kelly, who is battling to take the seat from the DUP's Nigel Dodds.
Figures from the 2011 census are displayed, showing a Catholic population of 46.9% and a Protestant population of 45.6%.
The tag line is: "Make the change, make history."
Ulster Unionist Tom Elliott said the leaflet was blatantly sectarian.
"Sinn Féin are engaged in the worst and most blatant kind of sectarian campaign yet exhibited by a political party during the general election," he said.
"In their headlong rush to try and win the Westminster seat of North Belfast, they have resorted to the lowest common denominator - sectarianism.
"They will have offended many people across the denominations."
Nuala McAllister of the Alliance Party said there was "nowhere else in these islands where it would be acceptable to target people on the basis of their religion".
"This would be equivalent to a city in the north of England where a party puts out letters highlighting the percentage of the population that is Christian versus the percentage of the population that is Muslim," she said.
"The more that we talk about this divide, the more that we talk about this sectarian headcount, it just perpetuates the divide more. This is lazy politics."
The DUP's Nigel Dodds also criticised the leaflet: "Sinn Féin like to take about equality in public, but privately they make it clear that equality is nothing more than a Trojan Horse to break unionists.
"Publicly Sinn Féin talk about challenging sectarianism, but then produce leaflets which rely on blatant sectarian head counting in North Belfast."
Gerry Kelly said the leaflet merely presented official census figures and offered "compelling official evidence of significant demographic change" in the constituency.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election-2015-northern-ireland-32582673

[general_lee]

While I agree that it is poor form by Sinn Fein; a bit of context please. It's North Belfast fgs. When in Rome and all that.

[Pub Bore]

It's a good story until you reach the bit where Tom Elliott calls something blatantly sectarian!

[yellowcard]

There was a mention of this in another thread, but this really is the mask slipping. So much for 'Catholic, Protestant and Dissenter'.

Election 2015: Sinn Féin accused over North Belfast 'sectarian leaflet'
4 May 2015

Sinn Féin is facing criticism for publishing election material in North Belfast showing the religious breakdown of the constituency.
The leaflet was published by candidate Gerry Kelly, who is battling to take the seat from the DUP's Nigel Dodds.
Figures from the 2011 census are displayed, showing a Catholic population of 46.9% and a Protestant population of 45.6%.
The tag line is: "Make the change, make history."
Ulster Unionist Tom Elliott said the leaflet was blatantly sectarian.
"Sinn Féin are engaged in the worst and most blatant kind of sectarian campaign yet exhibited by a political party during the general election," he said.
"In their headlong rush to try and win the Westminster seat of North Belfast, they have resorted to the lowest common denominator - sectarianism.
"They will have offended many people across the denominations."
Nuala McAllister of the Alliance Party said there was "nowhere else in these islands where it would be acceptable to target people on the basis of their religion".
"This would be equivalent to a city in the north of England where a party puts out letters highlighting the percentage of the population that is Christian versus the percentage of the population that is Muslim," she said.
"The more that we talk about this divide, the more that we talk about this sectarian headcount, it just perpetuates the divide more. This is lazy politics."
The DUP's Nigel Dodds also criticised the leaflet: "Sinn Féin like to take about equality in public, but privately they make it clear that equality is nothing more than a Trojan Horse to break unionists.
"Publicly Sinn Féin talk about challenging sectarianism, but then produce leaflets which rely on blatant sectarian head counting in North Belfast."
Gerry Kelly said the leaflet merely presented official census figures and offered "compelling official evidence of significant demographic change" in the constituency.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election-2015-northern-ireland-32582673

Another example of PC gone mad. The dogs in the street know that the vast majority of catholics will vote SF/SDLP and the vast majority of protestants will vote UUP/DUP. Don't really know how this is considered newsworthy other than the fact that the Unionists are trying to gain some capital out of it as the elections are coming up and it took a bit of the heat off the Jim Wells incident.

[Applesisapples]

While I agree that it is poor form by Sinn Fein; a bit of context please. It's North Belfast fgs. When in Rome and all that.

How come it is only a sectarian head count when its the Shinners? All Unionist parties have no difficulty standing single candidates when a head count is in there favour.

[general_lee]

While I agree that it is poor form by Sinn Fein; a bit of context please. It's North Belfast fgs. When in Rome and all that.

How come it is only a sectarian head count when its the Shinners? All Unionist parties have no difficulty standing single candidates when a head count is in there favour.

Every election in the North is a sectarian head count.

[93-DY-SAM]

It was a stupid leaflet for Sinn Fein in North Belfast to put out. But it's one leaflet in one area (mind you we've seen the damage one leaflet in one area can do in the past). It's a bit rich unionists playing the sectarian card when they are involved in electoral pacts. 

Mike TV has said he is voting DUP in East Belfast. Where else in the world would you get anyone (in this case their leader no less) from one political party voting for another party?

[deiseach]

Mike TV has said he is voting DUP in East Belfast. Where else in the world would you get anyone (in this case their leader no less) from one political party voting for another party?

I can't believe I haven't seen him called that before. Made me laugh.

[Maguire01]

While I agree that it is poor form by Sinn Fein; a bit of context please. It's North Belfast fgs. When in Rome and all that.

It's all fine if that's the way they want to campaign. But forget all talk of republican principles - this is catholic nationalism.

[Maguire01]

While I agree that it is poor form by Sinn Fein; a bit of context please. It's North Belfast fgs. When in Rome and all that.

How come it is only a sectarian head count when its the Shinners? All Unionist parties have no difficulty standing single candidates when a head count is in there favour.

We all know the realities of sectarian headcounts, but nothing has been quite as blatant as this leaflet. Unionists can say they want to maximise 'unionist' representation - unless i've missed it, they haven't explicitly been talking about 'protestant' representation. It's a subtle difference, and most people can see through it, but it's an important difference.