Consider that you are voting...

[Peter]

These are all the (sensible) parties standing in NI as far as I am aware.

Ulster Unionist - Moderate Unionists (Protestant). Committed to Good Friday but only with greater IRA co-operation. Links to the UK Conservative Party are strong, and propped up the Major govt of the 90s when it was in trouble.

Dem. Unionist - Staunch Unionists (Protestant). Want to abandon Good Friday and re-negoitiate. Lead by the irrepresible "Reverend" Ian Paisley. Very much socially and economically conservative.

SDLP - Moderate Nationalists (Catholic). Committed to Good Friday, though increasingly marginalised in their own community. As the name suggests, they are social democrats.

Sinn Fein - Republicans (Catholic); Links to the terrorist organisastion, the IRA. Wish to participate in Good Friday, but have been excluded by the main two Unionist parties. Strongly socialist party.

Alliance - Non-sectarian. Committed to assisting the Good Friday agreement. Policies are somewhat similar to the Liberal Democrats, though greater differences are emerging these days.

Workers Party - Socialists; Used to be linked with the IRA and Republicanism, but have since disavowed this and gone non-sectarian.

SEA - Similarly socialists, but with a more green twist. No sectarian history as such.

Conservative - The UK Tory party runs candidates here for reasons that pass understanding, but only about 3.

[Banana Republic]

You beat me!

Alliance, btw

[The Dowager Mod]

SEA

[bullmoose88]

UUP, if they're not in the particular race then Alliance.

[Emsworth]

The Ulster Unionists, or possibly the Conservatives.

[Jake]

Sinn Fein

[The Man From G.O.P.]

Tory UUP or Dem Union

[Erc]

UUP, if I'm in a particularly anti-Gerry Adams mood, DUP.

[Kevinstat]

I voted SDLP.  I like the fact that SDLP MP's are willing to take an oath of allegence toward their current government even though they work, through the means of that government, to break their country away from Great Britain and reuniting it with the rest of Ireland.  Both Sinn Finn and the Unionist parties would likely dispute different parts of what I said in the last sentence, Sinn Finn saying they are not serious about a united Ireland and the Unionists believing that the SDLP MP's are merely taking the oath of allegience in order to sit in the Commons.  And one or the other of these could be right, but I still like the idea of a moderate nationalist party.

[Emsworth]

Sinn Fein

I have to confess my surprise at finding out that you support this party. I did not expect you to vote for a far left-wing group.

[Jake]

Sinn Fein

I have to confess my surprise at finding out that you support this party. I did not expect you to vote for a far left-wing group.

I in no way support their policies in regards to anything but full reunification with Ireland.  If there was a conservative Republican party, I would support them.

[Emsworth]

I in no way support their policies in regards to anything but full reunification with Ireland.  If there was a conservative Republican party, I would support them.

Oh, I see. Incidentally, the Democratic Unionists are probably the most conservative among those listed above, but it discourages Roman Catholic membership. (I do not imply that you are or are not Catholic, as I am in no position to know.)

[Jake]

Yeah, I am. One of the main reasons I would never vote for Ian Paisley's party.

[The Man From G.O.P.]

Yeah, I am. One of the main reasons I would never vote for Ian Paisley's party.

Is being a Catholic more important than the furthering of our conservative ideals?

[Keystone Phil]

Yeah, I am. One of the main reasons I would never vote for Ian Paisley's party.

Is being a Catholic more important than the furthering of our conservative ideals?

Some of us see our faith as one of the most important things in life.

[Jake]

Yeah, I am. One of the main reasons I would never vote for Ian Paisley's party.

Is being a Catholic more important than the furthering of our conservative ideals?

Yes, especially when the ideals Paisley exhorts are those that are completely at odds with mine.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

These are all the (sensible) parties standing in NI as far as I am aware.

Ulster Unionist - Moderate Unionists (Protestant). Committed to Good Friday but only with greater IRA co-operation. Links to the UK Conservative Party are strong, and propped up the Major govt of the 90s when it was in trouble.

Dem. Unionist - Staunch Unionists (Protestant). Want to abandon Good Friday and re-negoitiate. Lead by the irrepresible "Reverend" Ian Paisley. Very much socially and economically conservative.

SDLP - Moderate Nationalists (Catholic). Committed to Good Friday, though increasingly marginalised in their own community. As the name suggests, they are social democrats.

Sinn Fein - Republicans (Catholic); Links to the terrorist organisastion, the IRA. Wish to participate in Good Friday, but have been excluded by the main two Unionist parties. Strongly socialist party.

Alliance - Non-sectarian. Committed to assisting the Good Friday agreement. Policies are somewhat similar to the Liberal Democrats, though greater differences are emerging these days.

Workers Party - Socialists; Used to be linked with the IRA and Republicanism, but have since disavowed this and gone non-sectarian.

SEA - Similarly socialists, but with a more green twist. No sectarian history as such.

Conservative - The UK Tory party runs candidates here for reasons that pass understanding, but only about 3.

Well I'm Protestant but I'd have to go with SDLP. Better than a party linked to the Conservatives or ran by a lunatic like Paisley. Or the Workers Party if they had a chance.

If the nationalists were likely to win threatened unionism then I'd vote UUP. But as long as NI is likely to remain in the UK I'd be willing to vote SDLP. Sinn Fein and the DUP would never receive my vote under any circumstances.

[Bleeding heart conservative, HTMLdon]

UUP, without question.  I have a great amount of respect for David Trimble and his courageous fight for peace for his land.  I hope that NI isn't DUPed this year.

[minionofmidas]

Alliance. Unless tactical considerations entered my mind, which is more than just a wee bit likely. I'd probably have to do a seat-by-seat. I probably won't.

[Silent Hunter]

SDLP, for the simple reason that they're the PSE party here.

[Democratic Hawk]

Democratic Unionist

I always thought this party represented the interests of working class Protestants. Didn't realise they were so economically conservative

Dave

[Bleeding heart conservative, HTMLdon]

They represent the interests of peace-hating bigots.

Democratic Unionist

I always thought this party represented the interests of working class Protestants. Didn't realise they were so economically conservative

Dave

[WMS]

Either SDLP (who I voted for in the poll) or UUP.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Oh dear... I'll have to do this seat by seat. Wait a sec...

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

PUP would be ideal as they're supposedly the only real leftist Protestant party, but from what I heard they're barely around anymore.

I'd probably vote strategically too depending on my constituency, basically try to wipe out anyone who belongs to the DUP or Sinn Fein and vote for whoever has the best chance of beating them if they were my MP. Both the DUP and Sinn Fein deserve nothing more than complete annihilation.