Northern Ireland Assembly Elections

[LJT]

For those of you interested, the Northern Ireland Assembly elections have been underway since yesterday, with the results hopefully coming through within the next few hours.

It is the first time I have been able to use my vote here, not sure if anything will greatly change after it though, such is the state of politics here.

Hopefully the DUP will lose some seats in the assembly which would hopefully ensure that they do all go into government on the 26th rather than the stalemate we have so gotten used to.

I must say Sinn Fein are certainly the most determined party I have ever witnessed to get their vote out, twice yesterday I had offers from two Sinn Fein party workers to get a lift up to the polling station.

 

[Vincent Vega]

Interesting. Thanks for that.
The German media doesn't really care about it, so if you want I would appreciate if you could comment about it and give your point of view about the outcome.

 

[LJT]

Will try my best

Honestly we need some new parties here, other than Rainbow George based out of Marcus' Music

No seats won as yet but the UUP look like they may have polled badly.

 

[LJT]

Here's a general political question....are independents worth anything other than a protest vote? I can't recall any that have achieved anything.

 

[LJT]

Sinn Fein apparently look likely to take 5 seats in West Belfast (certainly not confirmed yet though), which would be a first for any party, considered near impossible.

Not sure how I particularly feel about that, I dislike the idea of a Sinn Fein hegemony over where I live, but it is better than having the on DUP seat here, anything to get rid of Diane Dodds.

SDLP will likely take the 6th seat...

 

[financeguy]

No real surprises so far, as far as I can see.

 

[LJT]

Except maybe for McKay who came very close to outpolling Ian Paisley, youngest MLA so far, Sinn Fein really don't have much trouble with attracting younger members....

Mitchell McLoughlin did surprisingly very well I thought...a pretty strong showing by Sinn Fein, same old DUP crap so far though, makes it likely that this election is going to mean bugger all once again

 

[Vincent Vega]

Hey, just read that Paisley and Adams are going to form a coalition.
Never thought that would happen.
Hopefully it works out well.

 

[LJT]

Really isn't a coalition, just an agreement that they will go into government on May 8th, really not sure what use they will be when in power, I wouldn't trust them running a lemonade stand let alone a state..........none of them have a clue about economics for instance.

 

[Vincent Vega]

Hm, interesting.
I realized that the article I've read didn't mention the word coalition, but I couldn't think of how it should supposed to be running a state in another form.

Let's see what they make out of it.