Vote

[T Fearon]

What I've learned this past few years.

Despite all the bluster,politicians from all sides work reasonably well together for the whole community on non contentious issues, the odd genuine bigot excepted.

Council elections in the north should be viewed with great importance.Councils decide our rates etc and the new super councils have additional powers like planning.By the way it is the remunerated officers who really run the councils not the elected representatives.

[armaghniac]

I see NI21 is at loggerheads already.

[Apparently so]

f**k your elections

They're all as shite as each other

[BennyCake]

I am still not sure what these cretins do for us in Europe outside of scrounging for grants and subsidies. Can we not just appoint a representative to plead poverty for all of us?

The laws are made in Brussels by unelected bureaucrats. So, it's pointless voting.

[Maguire01]

So what you are saying is that people so vote 1,2,3 etc

Dodds and Anderson are certs, I think, their seat between Alex Attwood or Jim Allister, I think

Quite. The question is will the SF people have the political maturity to support nationalism by putting Attwood first or will they only support their own cult.

When directly asked by the BBC, SF refused to request their supporters to transfer to the SDLP. Which is their prerogative. But next time there's a Fermanagh/South Tyrone situation, let's not fall for the cries of needing to maximise the nationalist vote.

[Maguire01]

I see NI21 is at loggerheads already.

A shame really, because Unionists really need a more liberal option, and NI21 could have been that option. What they've done now with the designation issue is remove the only thing that differentiated them from Alliance, as far as I can see. They'll get transfers, including from Nationalists voters, but the question is whether they'll have enough first preferences to still be in the running by the time those transfers come into play.

[OakleafCounty]

I'll be voting for Anna Lo. The only one with a set of balls and a brain to match.

[Rois]

I've been disenfranchised by my firm - have lost my vote as I'm working in London this wk.
This day 16 years ago we were all voting in the referendum for the GFA. It was my 18th birthday so I remember it well. This birthday will go down in memory as the one I didn't vote on. 

[macdanger2]

Voting is pointless. No matter who gets in, they're all singing from the same hymn sheet.

Personally I view voting as a civic duty. But if you don't want to vote, don't vote.

Go in and spoil your vote then - if say 60% of the votes were spoiled, it would send a serious message instead of the message of 40% turnout saying "I couldn't be arsed going to vote but I'll complain away anyway"

[AQMP]

What puts me off is the fact that I have to drive past my local polling station which is about a mile from the house to go to one that is 7 miles away in a different town.

Likewise, a 13 mile round trip for me to vote...probably not.  I was going to vote for the only Republican standing...Anna Lo!

[supersarsfields]

I've been disenfranchised by my firm - have lost my vote as I'm working in London this wk.
This day 16 years ago we were all voting in the referendum for the GFA. It was my 18th birthday so I remember it well. This birthday will go down in memory as the one I didn't vote on. 

Happy Birthday Rois!!

[AQMP]

So what you are saying is that people so vote 1,2,3 etc

Dodds and Anderson are certs, I think, their seat between Alex Attwood or Jim Allister, I think

Quite. The question is will the SF people have the political maturity to support nationalism by putting Attwood first or will they only support their own cult.

Doubt whether there are two "nationalist" seats in the North...yet  As Martina Anderson said had there been a prospect of two nationalist/republican seats then SF would have run two candidates.  Anderson, Dodds & Nicholson in that order.  Allister polling numbers are well down on last time when I think he got 66,000 first preferences.  Will be interesting to see how UKIP do.

[AQMP]

So what you are saying is that people so vote 1,2,3 etc

Dodds and Anderson are certs, I think, their seat between Alex Attwood or Jim Allister, I think

Quite. The question is will the SF people have the political maturity to support nationalism by putting Attwood first or will they only support their own cult.

When directly asked by the BBC, SF refused to request their supporters to transfer to the SDLP. Which is their prerogative. But next time there's a Fermanagh/South Tyrone situation, let's not fall for the cries of needing to maximise the nationalist vote.

Does the SDLP have a transfer policy to SF??  As I understand it SF are not advising supporters on transfers across the whole country/island/two jurisdictions. 

Interesting that you mention Fermanagh/Sth Tyrone (my own constituency).  During the last (admittedly acrimonious) election I was told face to face by an SDLP councillor, standing on East Bridge Street with Fearghal McKinney, that he would rather Rodney Connor were elected than Michelle Gildernew.  When I looked at McKinney, he nodded.  An interesting tactic to try to secure my vote!

[give her dixie]

So what you are saying is that people so vote 1,2,3 etc

Dodds and Anderson are certs, I think, their seat between Alex Attwood or Jim Allister, I think

Quite. The question is will the SF people have the political maturity to support nationalism by putting Attwood first or will they only support their own cult.

When directly asked by the BBC, SF refused to request their supporters to transfer to the SDLP. Which is their prerogative. But next time there's a Fermanagh/South Tyrone situation, let's not fall for the cries of needing to maximise the nationalist vote.

Does the SDLP have a transfer policy to SF??  As I understand it SF are not advising supporters on transfers across the whole country/island/two jurisdictions. 

Interesting that you mention Fermanagh/Sth Tyrone (my own constituency).  During the last (admittedly acrimonious) election I was told face to face by an SDLP councillor, standing on East Bridge Street with Fearghal McKinney, that he would rather Rodney Connor were elected than Michelle Gildernew.  When I looked at McKinney, he nodded.  An interesting tactic to try to secure my vote!

Sinn Fein needed the support from traditional SDLP voters to secure the seat.

This was a direct appeal by Michelle Gildernew to SDLP voters to "Lend" her their vote in the election.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWQ5VBBoUJg

[AQMP]

I thought it was the Protestant farmers that got her elected!