Unionist Outreach in Craigavon

[MW]

Craigavon Council had elected their new mayor tonight. The vote was a follows:

Mairead O' Dowd (SF): 11 votes
Carla Lockhart (DUP): 10 votes
Arnold Hatch (UUP): 3 votes.

Carla Lockhart of the DUP was elected mayor and Arnold Hatch the Deputy Mayor.

Work that one out!

Presumably Craigavon Borough Council doesn't operate a first past the post Mayoral election then? Since you've asked us to "work that one out", I'd assume it's some form of alternative vote system, or perhaps a run-off ballot.

Marvellously transparent tit for tat title there.

(Try saying that after a drink or two)

You're defending Craigavon by hypothesising how the council works, when you stated you haven't got a clue how it works. Strange that...

The "strange" thing is how on earth you worked out that I was "defending Craigavon".

Ulick posted an incomplete set of information and invited us to "work that one out". What exactly was the problem then with me trying to "work it out"?

Why is that such a problematic response?

[Ulick]

no party had 10 + 3???

No one party did. Are you seriously advocating FPTP as an electoral system?

The D'Hondt method of voting and allocating seats was proposed and rejected by the unionists on the council in favour of direct first past the post. When the FPTP didn't go their way they reverted to a contrived version of proportional representation - in contravention of an earlier agreement not to use any form of proportional representation when first proposed before the AGM.

[saffron sam2]

Craigavon Council had elected their new mayor tonight. The vote was a follows:

Mairead O' Dowd (SF): 11 votes
Carla Lockhart (DUP): 10 votes
Arnold Hatch (UUP): 3 votes.

Carla Lockhart of the DUP was elected mayor and Arnold Hatch the Deputy Mayor.

Work that one out!

Rule number 1.

[Nally Stand]

Without a hint of irony, DUP councillor Woolsey Smith said his party would not be prepared to accept a power-sharing arrangement on the council until Sinn Féin "proved itself a democratic party"....

Priceless!!!

[brokencrossbar1]

SS2 enjoy the view,you deserve this!!!!!!  Guess which one is which?

[deiseach]

The D'Hondt method of voting and allocating seats was proposed and rejected by the unionists on the council in favour of direct first past the post. When the FPTP didn't go their way they reverted to a contrived version of proportional representation - in contravention of an earlier agreement not to use any form of proportional representation when first proposed before the AGM.

I take your point

[ziggysego]

Strabane & Omagh has it's first DUP chairperson. Neither one would shake the hands of Sinn Fein cllrs, who offered their congratulations.

[ziggysego]

Craigavon Council had elected their new mayor tonight. The vote was a follows:

Mairead O' Dowd (SF): 11 votes
Carla Lockhart (DUP): 10 votes
Arnold Hatch (UUP): 3 votes.

Carla Lockhart of the DUP was elected mayor and Arnold Hatch the Deputy Mayor.

Work that one out!

Presumably Craigavon Borough Council doesn't operate a first past the post Mayoral election then? Since you've asked us to "work that one out", I'd assume it's some form of alternative vote system, or perhaps a run-off ballot.

Marvellously transparent tit for tat title there.

(Try saying that after a drink or two)

You're defending Craigavon by hypothesising how the council works, when you stated you haven't got a clue how it works. Strange that...

The "strange" thing is how on earth you worked out that I was "defending Craigavon".

Ulick posted an incomplete set of information and invited us to "work that one out". What exactly was the problem then with me trying to "work it out"?

Why is that such a problematic response?

Just how it looked to me.

But hey, I've been wrong about stuff in the past and I'll no doubt continue being wrong about stuff in the future. So if I'm sorry, I'll apologise and retract my query/statement.

[Main Street]

The D'Hondt method of voting and allocating seats was proposed and rejected by the unionists on the council in favour of direct first past the post. When the FPTP didn't go their way they reverted to a contrived version of proportional representation - in contravention of an earlier agreement not to use any form of proportional representation when first proposed before the AGM.

I take your point

Can we presume the unionists could not predetermine that 11 votes would be greater than 10?

[Maguire01]

What i'm most confused about here is that surely the unionists councillors could have done the very simple maths on a FPTP scenario and supported a single candidate from their ranks (just as the SDLP appears to have supported the SF candidate here)? Surely that would have given them their desired outcome with no scope for opposition?

[lawnseed]

What i'm most confused about here is that surely the unionists councillors could have done the very simple maths on a FPTP scenario and supported a single candidate from their ranks (just as the SDLP appears to have supported the SF candidate here)? Surely that would have given them their desired outcome with no scope for opposition?

the sdlp appears to have supported sinn fein in craigavon but did the exact opposite in armagh indeed they joined in a carve up with unnionists/dup to keep the biggest party off all relevant committees etc..

work that out..

[Hardy]

Politics, eh?

[Nally Stand]

Politics Stoops, eh?

Stoops confused as always just.

[Applesisapples]

Omagh DC - for example

Sinn Fein - 10
DUP - 3
SDLP - 3
UUP - 3
Ind - 2

Sinn Fein Chair
UUP Vice-Chair

So SF are in favour of D'Hondt systems. Fine. But there's nothing inherently undemocratic in other ways of doing things. Davy Walsh of The Worker's Party in Waterford has been a city councillor for 33 years and has never had a sniff of becoming Mayor or Deputy Mayor. To me it's disgraceful that the weasels around him won't give the guy a dig-out, but the harsh truth is he never had the votes, and SF don't have them in Craigavon either.

Totally different situation, Craigavoin Borough is evenly balanced between both communities, it was just the unwillingness of SDLP voters to transfer that enable Unionists to hold the balance of power. Craigavon has a record of sectarian bigotry stretching back over many years. Remember the ST Peter's debacle where the had to be forced in the courts to lease ground to the GAA Club. In Nationalist controlled councils by and large Unionists get a fair crack of the whip, even Ballymena has elected a nationalist Mayor. Craigavon closely followed by Lisburn have continously done what the could to keep the croppies down. I'm afraid your post displays an ignorance of the North and its politics.

[Applesisapples]

I have to say, having given the Shinners stick over their inaction in trying to get the Stoops on board regarding their plans for unity, I feel obliged to have a go at the stoops now. Given the collective nationalist experience at the sharp end of unionist democracy any SDLP member who sides with them to exclude SF should be ashamed of themselves and Big Al needs to kick ass...but he won't as his inability to recognise SF help in his South Belfast election clearly illustrated he prefers to lick unionist ar*es.