Stormont Assembly Elections 2017

[Keyser soze]

Newsletter Editorial yesterday.

2017 Less than one year ago this newspaper congratulated Arlene Foster on a stunning election win. We praised the decisive result she had achieved for unionism and heralded her leadership and the promise it showed for Northern Ireland. There is no question that as first minister in an absurd mandatory coalition system, alongside a party as unreliable as Sinn Fein, Mrs Foster was always in a difficult position. Since 1998 unionists have been told by London and Dublin that Sinn Fein must, no matter what it does, be in power, or else devolution is suspended for everyone. There is always the threat of joint authority if unionists do not play ball but never any threat of specific sanction against the IRA's political wing. But despite that context, it cannot be pretended today that this electoral outcome is anything other than a bad one for unionism. A 10-seat DUP lead over Sinn Fein has turned into a vanishingly small one of a single seat. A 36,000 DUP vote lead has turned into an 1,100 one. The lower seat margin is slightly mitigated by the fact that the number of seats has gone down, and so any majority in this parliament is proportionately larger than a margin of the same number of seats would have been in the last assembly. But the fact the UUP has had a poor election, when added to the DUP relative decline, raises serious questions about the future of unionism and how unionists should move ahead. Mike Nesbitt tried to do something new in politics but was constrained by the fact that he never seemed entirely to understand unionism and was not in a strong position to bring people with him in his comment that he would transfer to the SDLP. He deserves admiration but his comment was ill thought out and has merely contributed to some DUP losses and so he is right to resign. Mrs Foster must not now rush into any arrangement to prop up devolution. Direct rule under this present UK government is far preferable to hasty concessions to Sinn Fein. She is now the leader of unionism and has much to do – to mend fences within unionism, to present an attractive face to the world for pro-Union politics, and to help clear up the mess caused by RHI.

Read more at: http://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/opinion/foster-has-hard-work-ahead-as-she-returns-at-the-helm-of-ni-1-7850520

[vallankumous]

Newsletter Editorial yesterday.

2017 Less than one year ago this newspaper congratulated Arlene Foster on a stunning election win. We praised the decisive result she had achieved for unionism and heralded her leadership and the promise it showed for Northern Ireland. There is no question that as first minister in an absurd mandatory coalition system, alongside a party as unreliable as Sinn Fein, Mrs Foster was always in a difficult position. Since 1998 unionists have been told by London and Dublin that Sinn Fein must, no matter what it does, be in power, or else devolution is suspended for everyone. There is always the threat of joint authority if unionists do not play ball but never any threat of specific sanction against the IRA's political wing. But despite that context, it cannot be pretended today that this electoral outcome is anything other than a bad one for unionism. A 10-seat DUP lead over Sinn Fein has turned into a vanishingly small one of a single seat. A 36,000 DUP vote lead has turned into an 1,100 one. The lower seat margin is slightly mitigated by the fact that the number of seats has gone down, and so any majority in this parliament is proportionately larger than a margin of the same number of seats would have been in the last assembly. But the fact the UUP has had a poor election, when added to the DUP relative decline, raises serious questions about the future of unionism and how unionists should move ahead. Mike Nesbitt tried to do something new in politics but was constrained by the fact that he never seemed entirely to understand unionism and was not in a strong position to bring people with him in his comment that he would transfer to the SDLP. He deserves admiration but his comment was ill thought out and has merely contributed to some DUP losses and so he is right to resign. Mrs Foster must not now rush into any arrangement to prop up devolution. Direct rule under this present UK government is far preferable to hasty concessions to Sinn Fein. She is now the leader of unionism and has much to do – to mend fences within unionism, to present an attractive face to the world for pro-Union politics, and to help clear up the mess caused by RHI.

Read more at: http://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/opinion/foster-has-hard-work-ahead-as-she-returns-at-the-helm-of-ni-1-7850520

If the editor had have said this nonsense before the election he'd have saved the DUP and Foster

[armaghniac]

The Newsletter did a lot to expose RHI, Foster would have told them to f*** off if they offered advice. All these things are bleeding obvious.

[Main Street]

SF 1,2,3. I posted that on Thursday night as soon as I returned from the Polling Station. Delighted that in my constituency, Newry and Armagh, SF returned 3 MLAs

So you're happy with the current setup... never heard sf talk about the things I've mentioned, normal politics

Dougal performed his civic duty,  ignoring the taunts from the losers that he's a moronic part of the sectarian vote, inextricably drawn to the polling station to perform the tribal ritual.
We can ask no more from Dougal.

[Avondhu star]

I think you need to look at the achievements of their Ministers over the years to realise just what has been done in terms of normal politics.

What have these glorified county councillors exactly achieved?

[general_lee]

SF 1,2,3. I posted that on Thursday night as soon as I returned from the Polling Station. Delighted that in my constituency, Newry and Armagh, SF returned 3 MLAs

So you're happy with the current setup... never heard sf talk about the things I've mentioned, normal politics

Dougal performed his civic duty,  ignoring the taunts from the losers that he's a moronic part of the sectarian vote, inextricably drawn to the polling station to perform the tribal ritual.
We can ask no more from Dougal.

Imagine voting for a party that best fits your political beliefs 

[Take Your Points]

Edwin Poots drives home from the election count and encounters a bright white light which throws him out of his car and into the road stunned:

http://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/parties-must-overcome-differences-and-make-northern-ireland-work-poots-1-7851237

[Take Your Points]

The infighting has already begun after the pain of defeat:

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/emma-little-pengelly-blames-stalford-1-leaflet-distribution-and-voter-misinformation-for-south-belfast-election-failure-35503504.html

[north_antrim_hound]

Edwin Poots drives home from the election count and encounters a bright white light which throws him out of his car and into the road stunned:

http://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/parties-must-overcome-differences-and-make-northern-ireland-work-poots-1-7851237

I don't think he fell out of his car
I think he got a call from his PR advisor and he told him that venomous s..t he was spouting out on Friday night is exactly what have got  the DUP in to this position
I read the link he said '" the union is not going away anytime soon"
That's a far cry from the "never never never"
of bygone days
Boy are times changing

[Farrandeelin]

It's funny the way they say it's unfortunate that nationalists voted in high numbers. Thought that is what democracy was about?

[Milltown Row2]

Be more unfortunate if the same numbers don't come out at the next election!!

[seafoid]

Edwin Poots drives home from the election count and encounters a bright white light which throws him out of his car and into the road stunned:

http://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/parties-must-overcome-differences-and-make-northern-ireland-work-poots-1-7851237

I don't think he fell out of his car
I think he got a call from his PR advisor and he told him that venomous s..t he was spouting out on Friday night is exactly what have got  the DUP in to this position
I read the link he said '" the union is not going away anytime soon"
That's a far cry from the "never never never"
of bygone days
Boy are times changing

I wouldn't be surprised if someone in Westminster rang Arlene and told her and her party to get off their high horse. London has enough crap to deal with without adding Direct Rule just cos Unionists don't like the demographics.

[tothetop03]

Dont Know why any True Republican is so happy distributing British rule...really beats me...

[armaghniac]

Be more unfortunate if the same numbers don't come out at the next election!!

Perhaps they won't, as they did not in 2016, but they can just come out in the election after that.
The turnout is still below levels 15 years ago, there are more people out there (on both sides).

[Milltown Row2]

What happened in 1989?