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[North Belfast General Election results]

UUP have stated they won't stand in Foyle, North Belfast and West Belfast.

This signals to DUP that they won't do anything to affect their de facto leader, Dodds, and will want a similar arrangement in other seats especially to protect Kinahan in South Antrim and Elliot in FST.

Interesting that they are pointing out they could run Nesbitt in South Belfast and Kennedy in Upper Bann.

There is a need for an agreed anti-Brexit candidate in North Belfast to defeat Dodds which would be a significant blow to the DUP.  No established SF or SDLP candidate would be enough to draw in the Alliance vote needed to win from Dodds.

North Belfast election results 2017
61.8%

DUP   13,309   
UUP   2,418   
PUP   2,053   17,780

AP   3,487 

SF   12,204   
SDLP   5,431   
PBP   1,559   
GP   711   
WP   248        20,153

IND   66   


North Belfast General Election results

2015   
59.20%

DUP   19,096
SF   13,770
SDLP   3,338
APNI   2,941
WP   919
IND   529   
   
2010   
56.50%

DUP   14,812
SF   12,588
SDLP   4,544
UCU-NF   2,837
APNI   1,809
IND   403
   
2005   
57.80%

DUP   13,935
SF   8,747
SDLP   4,950
UUP   2,154
APNI   438
WP   165
IND   151
   
2001   
67.20%

DUP   16,718
SF   10,331
SDLP   8,592
UUP   4,904
WP   253
IND   134

Apparently SF might not be running in one of these constituencies either.. Also heard that majority of UUP's candidates are liberal unionists.  Strong possibility that they might return an equal number to DUP.  Apparently SF are not that interested in the Westminster/Brexit tester and that Brokenshire's refusal to call a second Stormont election is going to be challenged.

Depends what you mean by 'poor'.  Interesting times.  I laughed out loud when Theresa May said that "Politics is not a game" and I haven't lol-ed since I found out what lol meant.  Britain is a genuinely funny country.  Constitutionally it's always been all over the place.  In Northern Ireland Sinn Fein should be concentrating on collating the obvious anti-Brexit alliance rather than hanging the future of any Stormont government on who leads the DUP.  They would be surprised just how many small u unionists are out there.  It should also consider taking their few seats at Westminster.  I'd said NI will be used as a test case before any 2nd referendum.  If there's no special status for us then Scotland will definitely have to abide by the will of the entire British people.  No doubt there'll have to be some internal allowances made.  Voters see through out-dated dogma and it's usually counter-productive as Jeremy Corbyn is finding to his cost.  As May has said more the once "Brexit means Brexit".

Bring back Ronnie all is forgiven lol

Ok. I'm back. Euros over. My 3rd favourite team won it. What was the religious make-up of Lincoln?  What do you want me to do?

I'm supporting Northern Ireland in the Euros.  I consider myself a dedicated GAA member and would aim towards a republic in political arguments.  Are those positions mutually exclusive?

Possibly, but zero sports that I'm aware of.

1. If you actually wanted to know you could have found the following from an internet site called Wikipedia:
"Traditionally, the Orange Order was affiliated with the institutions of establishment Unionism: the Ulster Unionist Party and Church of Ireland. It had a fractious relationship with the Democratic Unionist Party, Protestant paramilitaries, Independent Orange Order, and the Free Presbyterian Church. The Order urged its members not to join these organisations, and it is only recently that some of these intra-Unionist breaches have been healed."
2. Most flags have been created independently of religion.  Do your own research here.
3. Grown-ups and most children know that voting is a private matter.

If head-counts based on religion really mean anything to you then you really should get out and talk people.

Are Pressies and church of Ireland considered all the same ??

They are when it comes to.putting others in their place. GSTQ

Nobody I know equates a Free Presbyterian with a Church of Ireland member.  You are clearly on the wind-up Seafoid.  Go away.  Religion is a serious matter.

[The main problem is the supporters, vast majority are socially deprived and unfortunately don't have the education or leadership behind them to try and promote a all inclusive atmosphere at games]

I think you might see a lot more young Catholics representing NI in the near future.

The IFA are doing a lot of work in the the youth development squads to promote an all inclusive culture to help cut out young lads changing allegiance.

I think we will always see some cross over but you have to give them credit for trying to do something.

I would agree ref Windsor Park, it's not a great place for a catholic to have to go to, but again Belfast is beginning to regenerate itself so some of the areas down that way may tidy themselves up.

The main problem is the supporters, vast majority are socially deprived and unfortunately don't have the education or leadership behind them to try and promote a all inclusive atmosphere at games.

If that's the case, then what's the excuse for educated unionist politicans?

It's not the case. Bigotry has zero zero zero to do with social deprivation. Some posters on here are clearly on the wind-up.

As James Craig put it.
"All I boast of is that we are a Protestant Parliament and a Protestant State. It would be rather interesting for historians of the future to compare a Catholic State launched in the South with a Protestant State launched in the North and to see which gets on the better and prospers the more. "

I wonder how the prospering bit and getting on thing is working out? Any updates on that?

Craig and Carson had to invent a culture for the Protestant state for the Protestant people that justified the status quo where the Taigs were at the bottom of the caste system. With industries like shipbuilding employing protestants exclusively it would go on forever. And England would always be the same. What could possibly go wrong.
Cavan collaborated and won over 30 Ulster titles while the model worked.
The problem with racist systems is that they are self defeating economically. Keeping people down is bad for the economy. It means the wrong focus. If you do it for too long the whole system can collapse.
The Brits changed as well. Nobody in England or Scotland gives a shit about the Somme.

New here and all but please go away.

I'm no expert but..

Yous boys are a gas.  Who's the funniest on here?

Wrong. Northern Ireland is not 1/2th a province. It's 1/4th of a nation. ROI is 3/4qtrs of a nation. Which European countries are better? Us northern scum live in the best country in the world. Who else has 2 countries to support? The Beautiful South is another issue entirely. Who cares who takes his decree from Pope Francie?

Kosovars have 2 countries to support. The bucks in Kaliningrad don't go around claiming nationhood .

Ok.  They've their right to support Kosovo, Serbia, Albania, whoever.  We're entitled to our nationhood and can support whomsoever we choose.  Shouldn't we be very grateful for that?

Antrim can only be considered 1 of 9 because that's the way the GAA constitute themselves.  The site might be worth a few pounds? So what?

3. The government must consider what is best for the people of Northern Ireland. Cavan, Monaghan and Donegal are irrelevant.

So what? The worth of the site isn't a kick in the balls of what the GAA have pledged to the project. In relation to the Casement project, why should Antrim accept a similar standing to counties who have offered nothing to the new stadium?

So you think Antrim GAA should be paid £Xm for the site and then, whenever a provincial ground is built somewhere, they should pay back £Ym as their contribution whenever they want to use it.  As a percentage how many £s have Antrim generated for the Ulster Council?  Stormont doesn't care how many GAA heads there are in Belfast.  As a priority where would the GAA feature in a straw poll of residents anywhere in Belfast?  Way way down the pecking order.

Antrim can only be considered 1 of 9 because that's the way the GAA constitute themselves.  The site might be worth a few pounds? So what?

3. The government must consider what is best for the people of Northern Ireland. Cavan, Monaghan and Donegal are irrelevant.

Wrong. Northern Ireland is not 1/2th a province. It's 1/4th of a nation. ROI is 3/4qtrs of a nation. Which European countries are better? Us northern scum live in the best country in the world. Who else has 2 countries to support? The Beautiful South is another issue entirely. Who cares who takes his decree from Pope Francie?