6 County Assembly Elections - 5th May 2022

[seafoid]

SF have an impressive party machine but most of their MLAs are mediocre at best. They haven't done any work on the political economy of unification either.

[trileacman]

The shinners on social media seem particularly oblivious to the fact their vote has hit something of a glass ceiling in NI and by the looks of it the failing SDLP vote is going the way of Aliiance. Whilst they'll take a lot of seats SF will be in particular trouble when alliance start running centrist Protestant candidates west of the Bann which will put a lot of pressure on SFs 3rd seats.

LMAO it takes some going to take today's results and portray them as in ANY way bad for SF. How do you know it's a glass ceiling? It was said that 2017 results were the ceiling for them. Right up until last night, commentators unanimously agreed that SF would lose seats - potentially up to four. It looks at the minute that they will likely at least hold their seats and have increased their vote. Not much of a "glass ceiling' if it keeps getting broken through. And I think you are overstating the ability of Alliance West of the Bann. Their big hope in West Tyrone, Stephen Donnelly, is languishing in 7th position. Not even remotely close to threatening SFs third seat (currently Declan McAleer who is in third position. And you think that were Stephen a Protestant that that would have dramatically boosted his chances? A bizzare take you've got.

SF vote is falling in West Tyrone, Newry and Armagh, Foyle, Big traditional Nationalist areas. They hold the majority of seats here and keep a Protestant minority out of the running for most who usually have to pool their votes at the final round to get a token Unionist elected. Quite a few Unionist votes are left at home or lost in race for 5th place. If Alliance ran a candidate from a typical West Ulster Unionist background they'd still hold the Alliance vote, take a few floating voters off SF/SDLP and sweep up a good portion of Unionist who want to vote for someone with a chance of being elected.

Up by 5000 according to the BBC there

More registered voters because of the covid spend money. SF share of the vote is down nearly 4% in Foyle.

[Eamonnca1]

In any other election Donaldson would be out by Monday... the place is clean mad you here how would you even try to make sense of it all?

Should the rise of the middle ground mean an end to mandatory coalition of designations? If Sinn Fein and Alliance can agree a programme for Government surely they should be allowed to govern!

Power sharing. It's usually called "mandatory coalition" by people opposed to power sharing.

[screenexile]

In any other election Donaldson would be out by Monday... the place is clean mad you here how would you even try to make sense of it all?

Should the rise of the middle ground mean an end to mandatory coalition of designations? If Sinn Fein and Alliance can agree a programme for Government surely they should be allowed to govern!

Power sharing. It's usually called "mandatory coalition" by people opposed to power sharing.

I'm not opposed to power sharing at all but the fact that it has to be both Nationalist and Unionist doesn't  make sense anymore when the middle ground is increasing every year.

Unionists probably won't like it but surely it has to be up for discussion so that decisions can be made here!

[Main Street]

I see SF's 29% first pref vote was 3% higher than the Lucidtalk opinion poll.  That's a good bit off the mark.

[screenexile]

I see SF's 29% first pref vote was 3% higher than the Lucidtalk opinion poll.  That's a good bit off the mark.

Well off they had DUP neck and neck with Alliance at 18%.

DUP got 21% and Alliance 13% so big disparity with that!

[Kidder81]

I see SF's 29% first pref vote was 3% higher than the Lucidtalk opinion poll.  That's a good bit off the mark.

Saw it said earlier that quite a few made their decision close to the time

[Itchy]

From Terence O'Neill to Michelle O'Neill in just over 50 years.

And some people still think there'll never be a United Ireland.

There wont unless the political economy is fixed

Seafood, why do you make such definitive statements about something you know f**k all about lad?

[seafoid]

From Terence O'Neill to Michelle O'Neill in just over 50 years.

And some people still think there'll never be a United Ireland.

There wont unless the political economy is fixed

What economy lol, doesn't matter up here, we don't have one

Nobody in the South will vote for unification if NI remains an economic basket case

[seafoid]

From Terence O'Neill to Michelle O'Neill in just over 50 years.

And some people still think there'll never be a United Ireland.

There wont unless the political economy is fixed

Seafood, why do you make such definitive statements about something you know f**k all about lad?

Look at opinion polls, Itchy. Sunday Indo anytime. Southern voters do not want to pay for NI. So NI has to pay its own way.
What do you know about fixing NI ?

[Itchy]

SF have an impressive party machine but most of their MLAs are mediocre at best. They haven't done any work on the political economy of unification either.

Sure why don't you enlighten us on which ones you believe are mediocre and why you believe that.

[Main Street]

I see SF's 29% first pref vote was 3% higher than the Lucidtalk opinion poll.  That's a good bit off the mark.

Saw it said earlier that quite a few made their decision close to the time

So some Sinn Féin voters aren't what are classified shy voters, they're just a bit tardy.

[Snapchap]

SF vote is falling in West Tyrone, Newry and Armagh, Foyle,

What?! SFs vote in West Tyrone is up by 1.3% and down by the same in Newry/Armagh. In Foyle their vote was down yet still they outpolled the SDLP with two totally new, untested candidates. In FST (also west of the Bann last time I checked) their vote has also increased (by 2.5%). Lastly, in Mid-Ulster, their vote was the same. So your suggestion that SF are haemorrhaging votes west of the Bann is just nonsense. I think you are confusing what the commentators predicted with what actually happened.

They hold the majority of seats here and keep a Protestant minority out of the running for most who usually have to pool their votes at the final round to get a token Unionist elected.

Lol what? So SF are excluding Protestants from political representation in nationalist areas because they have the temerity to stand as many candidates as they believe can get elected? What do you want? Nationalists to not vote in constituencies where they are a majority?

Quite a few Unionist votes are left at home or lost in race for 5th place. If Alliance ran a candidate from a typical West Ulster Unionist background they'd still hold the Alliance vote, take a few floating voters off SF/SDLP and sweep up a good portion of Unionist who want to vote for someone with a chance of being elected.

Alliance have a Catholic candidate in West Tyrone who performed poorly. You think there's a big population of SF/SDLP voters in the constituency who didn't vote Alliance because they wanted their candidate to be Protestant?

Listen, you've tried your best to portray today as being a bad day for SF but seriously. Lay off whatever it is you're smoking.

[Itchy]

From Terence O'Neill to Michelle O'Neill in just over 50 years.

And some people still think there'll never be a United Ireland.

There wont unless the political economy is fixed

Seafood, why do you make such definitive statements about something you know f**k all about lad?

Look at opinion polls, Itchy. Sunday Indo anytime. Southern voters do not want to pay for NI. So NI has to pay its own way.
What do you know about fixing NI ?

Yeh, whenever I need to know about the North I read the f**king Sunday Indo. Are you off your rocker.

[Fear Bun Na Sceilpe]

I've always considered Alliance unionist and it baffles me tbh how lads on here would attack the stoops as they call them before alliance .