NI Assembly Elections - A rerun of the GFA referendum?

Be most worried,over a generation out from.the GFA,

unionists refuse to gaurantee to support a nationlist in what is essentially a meaningless ceromonial role

This utd ireland is coming,they seriously need to get act together with forward thinking leaders for negociations

Dyr

It's nigh on impossible to find a bigger identity parade of gob shites than a leaders debate in Ireland but, fair play to the Nordies, they managed it.

maccored

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119005592#Comment_119005592

poor mr hume would be turning in his grave

FrancieBrady

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119015526#Comment_119015526

Col-a-col-a Colum The Chameleon.

like others he'll pretend he is all things to all humankind when it suits him as has been embarrassingly pointed out to him.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119015862#Comment_119015862

The bloke gave most of the last year attending utd ireland conferences (before lately rubbishing it as a concept),while presumably aware all interested parties from all sides had been approached to participate

Looks to me,he has qs to answer as regards his sudden rethoric around this

FrancieBrady

Election eve and no political analysts confident in calling the outcome. Still think the scare tactics will work for another election cycle, probably the last one.

ArthurDayne

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119015982#Comment_119015982

It does seem hard to call insofar as it remains to be seen if the DUP actually loses the kind of ground that commentary would suggest they have, or if the old Stop Sinn Fein mantra will win out. A big factor in that, to me anyway, rests on whether any electoral defection from the DUP goes towards the extremes of the DUP or towards Alliance (or UUP). You'd imagine that votes going to the TUV will invariably funnel second pref votes etc to the DUP but for those who go Alliance it might not be as clear cut.

I read a few days back that North Down, with its large proportion of moderate liberal Unionists, has the worst turnout percentage of all the constituencies (Ferm / Sth Tyrone being highest). So there's a possible indication there that moderate Unionists from across NI -- many of them young people working in Great Britain or attending universities there -- will demonstrate their apathy towards the current Unionist offering by just not bothering to vote. That's better for the Unionists than seeing them taken into the arms of the Let's-All-Just-Hold-Hands-And-Go-With-The-Flow Party (aka Alliance) where feelings toward the border poll bogeyman are a little less Never Never Never and a little more Maybe Maybe Maybe.

SF are going to have a very strong election and if this one doesn't bring out a strong nationalist showing in general, then nationalism has a lot of soul searching to do as regards the vision it's setting out. But the future of Unionism is the big story here and i genuinely think this election is the barometer for where Unionism is going for the next 10 years. A strong showing for the DUP will suggest that very little is going to change for a time to come in the northern political stalemate, while a flow towards the even more extreme edge of Unionism will be very concerning indeed. Conversely, a Unionist defection towards the UUP or Alliance might suggest a new era of less intransigent Unionism is dawning and renewed efforts of moving the North forward can accelerate.

FrancieBrady

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119016280#Comment_119016280

If the future for NI is Unionism taking the ball home because they no longer have a majority, maybe the two governments will finally face the fact that partition is and always will be a failure. And hopefully the people will too and look for better.

L1011

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119015982#Comment_119015982

NI has exceptionally poor polling data - local firms with poor methodology, "Shy" everyone etc so there's nothing much for anyone to work from.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119016613#Comment_119016613

Tbf lucidtalk is among best of the polling groups about...usually call to well within margin of error on last election and brexit poll

Be along way ahead of likes of red c

blanch152

It is deeply satisfying to watch and see which of the two main sectarian parties suffers the bigger decline leaving the "winner" with a pyrrhic victory of FM.

FrancieBrady

Will the British shafting Unionists on the eve of an election (bizarre turn of events tbh) bolster or harm the DUP?

deezell

On his way in to vote in the Assembly elections, Jeffrey Donaldson proudly waves his EU passport (not blue Union one) to no doubt show his support for the EU and the protocol.

Video here

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1f3aVhqdk15QRJWYvJSvauvurRhKUAYPP/view?usp=drivesdk

Overheal

This bit of nudge wink needed an all caps headline?

deezell

This thread is in 'SOCIAL& FUN' (caps not mine). Y'know, FUN. Take a 🧊 💊.

Still stihl waters 3

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119019623#Comment_119019623

About as much as your stupid reply

Kermit.de.frog

Who?

Overheal

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119020618#Comment_119020618

Which didn't include allcaps..

Annasopra

Its a British passport issued before Brexit. It means nothing.

Overheal

Is it a secret ballot? If it is we'd never know how they voted; if it isn't well I guess we'll see in short order place your bets.

deezell

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119020880#Comment_119020880

It does to a Brexiteer.

Beasty

Threads merged

notsocutehoor

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119015982#Comment_119015982

The bookies have Sinn Fein 1/16, DUP 8/1, and Alliance 33/1 to get the most seats.

markodaly

Sinn Fein will lose seats.

FrancieBrady

Even though the people had spoken it was incredible to hear all Unionist parties refuse to say whether they would accept the wishes of the electorate on the View last night. Whose pundits chosen from across NI's media seemed to plump for an emphatic win for pro-protocol parties.

Francie Barrett

https://twitter.com/DarranMarshall/status/1522503323944988674

Looks like there has been a massive surge for the TUV at the expense of the DUP.

Sinn Féin almost certain to be the largest party you'd have to think.

FrancieBrady

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119022538#Comment_119022538

Lending votes to the Alliance too… last counts are going to be fascinating.

Francie Barrett

https://twitter.com/mgs_IRL/status/1522480785940529152

Bad news for the SDLP, collapse at the expense of Sinn Fein and Alliance to a smaller extent.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119022650#Comment_119022650

Given the government sent up people to canvass for the sdlp,that is terrible outcome

Be interesting see how the tuv pan out transferwise,they were projected at 63% to give no2 to the dup....if they can swallow up significant transfers,it could get vv.interesting

timmyntc

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119022695#Comment_119022695

Given the government sent up people to canvass for the SDLP, its not an unexpected outcome

The SDLP-FF axis was not a good move for either party