The Six counties European Election Thread/Poll

[magickingdom]

The Birmingham 6 etc all took innocent life, executing them would have let them off easy.

thicks like you are beneath contempt for statements like that

[Maguire01]

http://www.votematch.co.uk/europe/

A very interesting tool - asks you where you stand on a load of European issues and then matches you to the candidate who best represents your views. If you answer the questions honestly, it should take the tribal element of voting out of it and show whether you're really voting for the right candidate for you.

Mmmh, the Green Party.

TUV wasn't even listed in the final tally.... 

Mine was Greens as well. Then SDLP, Alliance and Sinn Fein.

[Maguire01]

Hadn't realised, but Northern Ireland will be the last to count its votes - apparently due to the fact that some of the politicians and electoral staff won't work on a Sunday. 

[Donagh]

Last of the turnouts:

East Derry 42.34%
Foyle 44.35%
Ferm Sth Tyrone 51.52%
West Tyrone 50.27%
U Bann 41.81%
Newry Armagh 49.05%

[Donagh]

http://www.votematch.co.uk/europe/

A very interesting tool - asks you where you stand on a load of European issues and then matches you to the candidate who best represents your views. If you answer the questions honestly, it should take the tribal element of voting out of it and show whether you're really voting for the right candidate for you.

http://gaaboard.com/board/index.php?topic=12425.0

[fred the red]

Hadn't realised, but Northern Ireland will be the last to count its votes - apparently due to the fact that some of the politicians and electoral staff won't work on a Sunday. 

this is a disgrace....how can we let a religious sect play such a major role in the running of this place?!

surely religion and politics should be 2 seperate issues 

[Tonto]

What do we draw from unionist support for Allister, protest vote in an election that doesn't matter too much or a real opposition to progress?   

Difficult to know what way to read it. You'd hope it's not the latter, but given what happened to the Ulster Unionists, it could well be history repeating itself.

OK, I'll be honest.  I am normally a UUP voter but I'm not a Tory, I dislike the DUP and think that Jim Allister is a bit of a dinosaur so I went to the ballot box not knowing who to vote for.

I have to say that I have been very impressed with Jim Allister's campaign and he, I think, is infinitely better than Dodds as a politician.  As such, I gave Allister my first preference simply because he, from what I see, has been our best MEP over the last 5 years and deserves to keep his seat.  I would never vote for the TUV in Assembly or Westminster elections but in this instance felt Jim Allister deserved it.

[magickingdom]

What do we draw from unionist support for Allister, protest vote in an election that doesn't matter too much or a real opposition to progress?   

Difficult to know what way to read it. You'd hope it's not the latter, but given what happened to the Ulster Unionists, it could well be history repeating itself.

OK, I'll be honest.  I am normally a UUP voter but I'm not a Tory, I dislike the DUP and think that Jim Allister is a bit of a dinosaur so I went to the ballot box not knowing who to vote for.

I have to say that I have been very impressed with Jim Allister's campaign and he, I think, is infinitely better than Dodds as a politician.  As such, I gave Allister my first preference simply because he, from what I see, has been our best MEP over the last 5 years and deserves to keep his seat.  I would never vote for the TUV in Assembly or Westminster elections but in this instance felt Jim Allister deserved it.

fair play tonto, cant argue with your logic. guys like jim allister scare me tho

[Gaffer]

Allister is a bigot pure and simple.

Represents the old guard of Unionism who calls himself a democratic yet  believes that Sinn Fein should not be in government even though they were democratically elected.

[Roger]

Last of the turnouts:

East Derry 42.34%
Foyle 44.35%
Ferm Sth Tyrone 51.52%
West Tyrone 50.27%
U Bann 41.81%
Newry Armagh 49.05%

Final figures are here... http://www.eoni.org.uk/turnout_-_website-3.pdf
Yet again electorate in predominantly unionist areas staying at home in greater proportion to those in predominantly nationalist constituencies.  I notice also disproportionately greater numbers of proxy and postal votes in nationalist dominated constituencies.

Any talk now about King Canute, Yeti's, garden centre bullshit etc etc etc like on that other thread about unionists in the minority?

[Donagh]

Last of the turnouts:

East Derry 42.34%
Foyle 44.35%
Ferm Sth Tyrone 51.52%
West Tyrone 50.27%
U Bann 41.81%
Newry Armagh 49.05%

Final figures are here... http://www.eoni.org.uk/turnout_-_website-3.pdf
Yet again electorate in predominantly unionist areas staying at home in greater proportion to those in predominantly nationalist constituencies.  I notice also disproportionately greater numbers of proxy and postal votes in nationalist dominated constituencies.

Any talk now about King Canute, Yeti's, garden centre bullshit etc etc etc like on that other thread about unionists in the minority?

Roger the vote in nationalist areas dropped more than the vote unionist areas but SF will still top the poll and a fair chance the SDLP will take a seat. Turnout has dropped on both sides but the crucial factor is that those who don't vote don't count. As many Fenians will appear for the next, presumably more important, election as will Prods, so that is irrelevant. What is relevant in the trends of the past 20 years, which say the garden centre Prod doesn't exist and if it does, it doesn't matter anyway.   

[Roger]

Roger the vote in nationalist areas dropped more than the vote unionist areas but SF will still top the poll and a fair chance the SDLP will take a seat. Turnout has dropped on both sides but the crucial factor is that those who don't vote don't count. As many Fenians will appear for the next, presumably more important, election as will Prods, so that is irrelevant. What is relevant in the trends of the past 20 years, which say the garden centre Prod doesn't exist and if it does, it doesn't matter anyway.   

They mattered at the last referendum.  Any border referendum I believe they'd be out again.  Now that's just opinion but you can see it has some precendent. I suppose even commenting is now cue for a torrent of abuse, insults and aggro from some quarters.  Oh well.

Btw, I don't think SDLP will get the third seat but this time last week I would have thought they would. One thing for sure is that Monday's results will be an interesting read.   

[Donagh]

They mattered at the last referendum.  Any border referendum I believe they'd be out again.  Now that's just opinion but you can see it has some precendent. I suppose even commenting is now cue for a torrent of abuse, insults and aggro from some quarters.  Oh well.

Btw, I don't think SDLP will get the third seat but this time last week I would have thought they would. One thing for sure is that Monday's results will be an interesting read.   

Roger they will be an interesting read but bear in mind this election has had a more balanced turnout between the two sides of the community which hasn't been seen in 20 years. So if anything the results are probably going to be a more accurate reflection of how things may turn out if the referendum was held now. It would be defeated but I'm guessing SF and SDLP will probably have about 42%-44% between them. That's going to increase by 1% every couple of years which makes it about 12 years at the outside to an absolute majority (not including soft green Alliance voters). What happens then?

[Pangurban]

There is little point in SF polling big in the sectarian head-count which passes for democracy in the north, if they can not translate this success to the the arena of real politic in the republic, where they are polling worse than expected in a political climate which is ripe for radical protesting left wing parties, as evidenced by the growth in the labour, socialist and independent vote.

[Maguire01]

What do we draw from unionist support for Allister, protest vote in an election that doesn't matter too much or a real opposition to progress?   

Difficult to know what way to read it. You'd hope it's not the latter, but given what happened to the Ulster Unionists, it could well be history repeating itself.

OK, I'll be honest.  I am normally a UUP voter but I'm not a Tory, I dislike the DUP and think that Jim Allister is a bit of a dinosaur so I went to the ballot box not knowing who to vote for.

I have to say that I have been very impressed with Jim Allister's campaign and he, I think, is infinitely better than Dodds as a politician.  As such, I gave Allister my first preference simply because he, from what I see, has been our best MEP over the last 5 years and deserves to keep his seat.  I would never vote for the TUV in Assembly or Westminster elections but in this instance felt Jim Allister deserved it.

But what about the fact that he won't deal with Babs in Europe, even on issues of common concern to NI? That's hardly the best was to work when we only have 3 MEPs.