Stormont Assembly Elections 2017

[FermGael]

Only hope for North is that non voters get to the polls.SF and DUP cult followers do not understand nor care about normal politics like Brexit etc,they only care about the brand

Looks like the Catholic Church vote collapsed Tony.....

[screenexile]

Huge result for Nationalists with the seat count dropping by 18 and then both keeping the same number of seats (well SF have 27 now instead of 28).

Unionism in turmoil and a resurgence of the SDLP is great to see. To be fair I don't usually vote for SF but Arelene's arrogance and naked bigotry helped to make my mind up this time.

There was talk she needed a minimum 30 seats to solidify her position as party leader it will be interesting to see how she gets through the next few days. I'm sure Gerry and the BBC will get a get plenty of the blame!

FAKE NEWS

[imtommygunn]

The DUP needed 30 to trigger their beloved veto, the petition of concern. They lost a big lead they had going into the election. And they are pro Brexit. Foster is a poor leader. The DUP remind me of Armagh.

They don't give a shit about brexit sf. It's a tool to "strengthen the union". That is all.

It won't strengthen the union
https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/brexits-long-run-effects-john-van-reenen.pdf

I think the DUP were tangoed. SF wanted Arlene to resign but the politics wouldn't allow it as it would have been perceived as a SF win. So they called an election. And a weakened DUP is now just 1 seat ahead. Arlene reminds me of Babs Keating and the Offaly hurlers.

Re there not being a Parnell, the political conditions are not yet ripe for a mould breaker. There is a saying in German that goes something like where heroes are not forgotten new ones will come.
I think a lot of institutions on the island are close to knackered. When the people demand change is when things will start moving.

Everyone else knows that.

[vallankumous]

Huge result for Nationalists with the seat count dropping by 18 and then both keeping the same number of seats (well SF have 27 now instead of 28).

Unionism in turmoil and a resurgence of the SDLP is great to see. To be fair I don't usually vote for SF but Arelene's arrogance and naked bigotry helped to make my mind up this time.

There was talk she needed a minimum 30 seats to solidify her position as party leader it will be interesting to see how she gets through the next few days. I'm sure Gerry and the BBC will get a get plenty of the blame!

FAKE NEWS

I think the Gerry Adams angle didn't work for her in the election. It would be foolish to keep it up.

[TheOptimist]

Had to laugh at the DUP coming out against bbc bias yesterday. The bbc are big Sinn Fein supporters now apparently 

Sinn Fein played the whole thing well. Interesting few weeks ahead.

[Farrandeelin]

Likely end up, 40 unionists, 39 nationalists and 11 others, probably 28 DUP and 27 SF.

That's sums up NI politics... sectarian head count

Feck everything else that matters

What do you expect when a line was drawn on a map to keep one side of the headcount happy nearly 100 years ago.

I expect local politicians to create jobs, improve health, generate growth, improved education not separate education... build bridges with our neighbors not divide them further... simple things like that, what do you look for from your politicians?

Obviously those things too. However NI will always be unionist v nationalist until a UI comes around.

[seafoid]

Kevin Maher and Gorgeous George Galloway
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJ94BMDiyBU

[king of leon]

Will Arlene go? Surely she her arrogance can't go beyond this.

Also, what is the likelihood of Sinn Fein ever taking their seats at Westminster?

[vallankumous]

Obviously those things too. However NI will always be unionist v nationalist until a UI comes around.

I think that's a lazy argument. This election shows that's not the case.

If you take into account the results you'll see the issues were, Brexit, Equality (LGBT), Corruption, Irish Language. These are not unionist v nationalist issues.
Some might argue the Irish Language is but for the majority of nationalists and many unionits it isnt. 
If we are all nationalist and Unionist the Alliance would not have done so well and the SDLP would not have received Unionist transfers.
It seems this nationalist Unionist divide being protrayed is the product of lazy journalists who don't want to dig into it. It's also taking the election map and seeing it in terms of green and orange. It's how it's always displayed by lazy journalists and media. If it was changed to blue and red for voters who voted for pro and anti Brexit parties it would look different. But, that would mean journalists who made their trade in the 1980s in the north would need to change their ingrained train of thought.
It would also mean southern and UK based journalists having to explain it to their market. It's easier to say green and orange to the their audience than try to explain that there is a modern politic happening in the north.

[vallankumous]

Will Arlene go? Surely she her arrogance can't go beyond this.

Also, what is the likelihood of Sinn Fein ever taking their seats at Westminster?

Hard to know on the first one.

Never on the second.
Their electorate don't want it. If they stand on a platform of taking their seats, they won't get elected.

[Farrandeelin]

Obviously those things too. However NI will always be unionist v nationalist until a UI comes around.

I think that's a lazy argument. This election shows that's not the case.

If you take into account the results you'll see the issues were, Brexit, Equality (LGBT), Corruption, Irish Language. These are not unionist v nationalist issues.
Some might argue the Irish Language is but for the majority of nationalists and many unionits it isnt. 
If we are all nationalist and Unionist the Alliance would not have done so well and the SDLP would not have received Unionist transfers.
It seems this nationalist Unionist divide being protrayed is the product of lazy journalists who don't want to dig into it. It's also taking the election map and seeing it in terms of green and orange. It's how it's always displayed by lazy journalists and media. If it was changed to blue and red for voters who voted for pro and anti Brexit parties it would look different. But, that would mean journalists who made their trade in the 1980s in the north would need to change their ingrained train of thought.
It would also mean southern and UK based journalists having to explain it to their market. It's easier to say green and orange to the their audience than try to explain that there is a modern politic happening in the north.

Fair enough vallankumous.

[seafoid]

Obviously those things too. However NI will always be unionist v nationalist until a UI comes around.

I think that's a lazy argument. This election shows that's not the case.

If you take into account the results you'll see the issues were, Brexit, Equality (LGBT), Corruption, Irish Language. These are not unionist v nationalist issues.
Some might argue the Irish Language is but for the majority of nationalists and many unionits it isnt. 
If we are all nationalist and Unionist the Alliance would not have done so well and the SDLP would not have received Unionist transfers.
It seems this nationalist Unionist divide being protrayed is the product of lazy journalists who don't want to dig into it. It's also taking the election map and seeing it in terms of green and orange. It's how it's always displayed by lazy journalists and media. If it was changed to blue and red for voters who voted for pro and anti Brexit parties it would look different. But, that would mean journalists who made their trade in the 1980s in the north would need to change their ingrained train of thought.
It would also mean southern and UK based journalists having to explain it to their market. It's easier to say green and orange to the their audience than try to explain that there is a modern politic happening in the north.

There seems to be a strong correlation between Unionist seats and areas with Protestant majorities.

for example , red blue yellow
http://elections.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/ni-assembly-2017/east-antrim

versus
green green green green red

http://elections.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/ni-assembly-2017/west-tyrone

How many UUP transfers did the SDLP get anyway ?

[Avondhu star]

Meanwhile Foreign Affairs Dept in Dublin is shitting itself as the unionist majority dwindles and the prospect of a border poll intensifies.

How did you come to that asinine conclusion?
No one including Sinn Fein have made the good economic case for a United Ireland. To give credit to Matt Carthy MEP he did make soundings in that regard.
When Brexit finally kicks there will be no special status for the north. Try convincing the Poles Greeks etc that a small region still under British jurisdiction should get a sweetheart deal.
When the Brussels cheques dries up and Westminster has its arse opened looking after the "mainland" both sides in the north will have to look at alternative political arrangements.
However both north and south is lacking a true leader like Parnell that the country could rally behind

Nobody cares about the Greeks, least of all the EU. The Poles have a big interest in the ex pats in the UK and might have some voice.

Parnell, FFS

You badly need to read up on European history. Its not all about the six counties. The EU and USA need Greece to be pro Europe and not pro Moscow. Why do you think the Generals rules Greece in the 70s? Poland with its history is the same. Dont be relying on Wojcieh in McDonalds Kings Cross to have any influence on Brexit.
As for Parnell and your FFS comment. Your knowledge of Irish history is as bad as your knowledge of European history.
Dont worry the pubs are opening soon. You can pop down and have a pint while you read The Sun

[OgraAnDun]

Huge result for Nationalists with the seat count dropping by 18 and then both keeping the same number of seats (well SF have 27 now instead of 28).

Unionism in turmoil and a resurgence of the SDLP is great to see. To be fair I don't usually vote for SF but Arelene's arrogance and naked bigotry helped to make my mind up this time.

There was talk she needed a minimum 30 seats to solidify her position as party leader it will be interesting to see how she gets through the next few days. I'm sure Gerry and the BBC will get a get plenty of the blame!

FAKE NEWS

The sort of attitudes held by the DUP are massive own goals for unionism. I was 16/17 around the time of the Fleg Protests. I was always pretty political but the majority of people of a similar age didn't really care that much, weren't altogether too pushed on a UI (certainly wouldn't have spent much time worrying about it) and definitely wouldn't have followed politics closely. In come the fleggers and everything changed, their centrist and 'not really interested' opinion shifted to relatively hardline nationalism and a definite interest in Stormont. I would say that I see a post on Facebook every day from some of them about SF, the Irish language, sharing something from LAD etc or commenting on newspaper articles about northern (and southern/UK) politics.

I would imagine something similar happened with the 15/16 year olds of today after the rogues and renegades BS, closely followed up by Brexit, crocodiles and whatever other nonsense Arlene has come out with over the past 12 months. As long as Unionism keeps the dinosaurs in the DUP ticking over, they keep producing a generation of politicised nationalists. Just like Brexit, cutting off their nose to spite their face in the long run.

[Dougal Maguire]

Likely end up, 40 unionists, 39 nationalists and 11 others, probably 28 DUP and 27 SF.

That's sums up NI politics... sectarian head count

Feck everything else that matters

What do you expect when a line was drawn on a map to keep one side of the headcount happy nearly 100 years ago.

I expect local politicians to create jobs, improve health, generate growth, improved education not separate education... build bridges with our neighbors not divide them further... simple things like that, what do you look for from your politicians?

So who did you vote for then?