Sinn Fein? They have gone away, you know.

[Rossfan]

Any of the usual suspects got anything to say about Belfast Councillor Beattie?

[LeoMc]

Any of the usual suspects got anything to say about Belfast Councillor Beattie?

Have you?

[Rossfan]

I presume if he's found to have been cheating the system the purer than pure SF party will get rid of him, condemn etc... Like they did with that Murphy chap 

[Saffrongael]

Michelle Gildernew fails to be selected by SF members to stand for F&ST assembly elections


Bit of a shocker ?

[Feckitt]

Odd decision,  3 men,  all from Fermanagh,  no women,  nobody from South Tyrone. I think they must be going to move Michelle Gildernew to Mid Ulster.  But it is a very unbalanced ticket in a constituency where it will be a tight battle to hang on to their 3rd seat

[Gaffer]

Mcguinness is probably in his pit at the minute cos he's for Belfast in the morning but he ll get a bit of a shock when he hears this!

[LeoMc]

Odd decision,  3 men,  all from Fermanagh,  no women,  nobody from South Tyrone. I think they must be going to move Michelle Gildernew to Mid Ulster.  But it is a very unbalanced ticket in a constituency where it will be a tight battle to hang on to their 3rd seat

Is it also a bit unbalanced in terms of the Tyrone / Fermanagh side of things. As well as the gender balance Gildernew and McGahan were both from the east of the constituency. Would they both now be seen as Mid-Ulster as the old Dungannon council area seems to be split between 2 constituencies?

[Applesisapples]

unbelievable that Flanagan is in and Gildernew is out. She must have really pissed off someone. To me as a nationalist voter this puts a huge question mark over SF when they choose someone who continually puts his size 10's in his gob over a capable woman like Gildernew.

[Hereiam]

I think it is more to do with Gildernews health than anything else.

[Applesisapples]

I think it is more to do with Gildernews health than anything else.

I think given her reaction her health seems fine. Still wouldn't excuse persisting with Flanagan.

[armaghniac]

unbelievable that Flanagan is in and Gildernew is out. She must have really pissed off someone. To me as a nationalist voter this puts a huge question mark over SF when they choose someone who continually puts his size 10's in his gob over a capable woman like Gildernew.

I've always thought Gildernew one of the most capable, and Flanagan is a bollix. I suspect Gildernew has sometimes extended her capable analysis to some things some people would prefer not to be analysed and pissed people off. The other issue here is that the card carrying "activists" in this selection process may not be exactly representative of nationalist society.

Perhaps Gildernew has some health problems, but Flanagan has shown a complete lack of judgement.

[Rossfan]

Presumably unquestioning loyalty to " good republicans/ism" trumps intelligence and ability in that outfit.

[Applesisapples]

Presumably unquestioning loyalty to " good republicans/ism" trumps intelligence and ability in that outfit.

I wouldn't have thought so, them and the DUP usually quite ruthless when it comes to suffering fools. Flanagan seems to be an exception. Both Conor Murphy and Gildernew were side-lined for a while over the NI water thing.

[winghalfun]

unbelievable that Flanagan is in and Gildernew is out. She must have really pissed off someone. To me as a nationalist voter this puts a huge question mark over SF when they choose someone who continually puts his size 10's in his gob over a capable woman like Gildernew

Maybe it's a case of fighting fire with fire.  I would say that Phil Flanagan, despite his many faux pas. would appeal to the more hard-line republicans of Fermanagh and South Tyrone.

No one should kid themselves that even a modicum of moderate unionism exists in this area and perhaps the people are sick of seeing Arlene walking around Tesco's with her union jack shopping bag and that stupid royal brooch that she never leaves off, sick of the unionist pacts and sick of the hard-line unionist representatives.

[armaghniac]

No one should kid themselves that even a modicum of moderate unionism exists in this area and perhaps the people are sick of seeing Arlene walking around Tesco's with her union jack shopping bag and that stupid royal brooch that she never leaves off, sick of the unionist pacts and sick of the hard-line unionist representatives.

Sick of these people indeed, but how can they be opposed?  I can certainly imagine Gildernew in Stormont as a First/Deputy First Minister, and someone that might advance the nationalist cause, but Flanagan would be an embarrassment. Flanagan reminds me of certain GAA players who will "stand up for themselves", but who just get sent off and and who are ultimately a scourge. What is needed is a player that goes up and scores at the other end, not one slabbering.