Mid-Ulster by-election

[Famous Mortimer]

John McCallister had previously ran on for leadership of the UUP as a liberal and on a platform of pulling out of the all party mandatory coalition.

That leadership race was really weird, the liberal opposing sitting with Sinn Fein and the conservative supporting it.

[YL]

John McCallister had previously ran on for leadership of the UUP as a liberal and on a platform of pulling out of the all party mandatory coalition.

That leadership race was really weird, the liberal opposing sitting with Sinn Fein and the conservative supporting it.

McCrea ran in the previous leadership election (the one won by Tom Elliott), so the losers in the last two UUP leadership elections have both left.

Also, the UUP has now fallen to fourth largest party in the Assembly, behind the SDLP.

[YL]

Only four candidates nominated:

Eric Bullick (Alliance)
Nigel Lutton (Independent)
Patsy McGlone (SDLP)
Francis Molloy (SF)

[joevsimp]

John McCallister had previously ran on for leadership of the UUP as a liberal and on a platform of pulling out of the all party mandatory coalition.

That leadership race was really weird, the liberal opposing sitting with Sinn Fein and the conservative supporting it.

McCrea ran in the previous leadership election (the one won by Tom Elliott), so the losers in the last two UUP leadership elections have both left.


Also, the UUP has now fallen to fourth largest party in the Assembly, behind the SDLP.

they did get less first prefs but more seats than SDLP at the last two elections though IIRC

dup are obviously more forthcoming with the transfers than SF

[ObserverIE]

Live-ish blog at http://ulsterherald.com/2013/03/07/election-updates/.

[ObserverIE]

SF 46.93% (-5.07%)
Unionist 34.35% (+1.59%)
SDLP 17.41% (+3.15%)
Alliance 1.31% (+0.34%)

[Leftbehind]

SF 46.93% (-5.07%)
Unionist 34.35% (+1.59%)
SDLP 17.41% (+3.15%)
Alliance 1.31% (+0.34%)

lol.

[minionofmidas]

Huh. It had never previously occurred to me that "Francie" might conceivably be a man.

[ObserverIE]

Huh. It had never previously occurred to me that "Francie" might conceivably be a man.

It had never previously occurred to me that "Francie" might be taken as being anything other than a man.