Mid Ulster Constituency

[5intheface]

2007 Result

http://i693.photobucket.com/albums/vv296/6intheface_2009/aaaa-4.jpg

http://i693.photobucket.com/albums/vv296/6intheface_2009/IMG_5198-1.jpg

[5intheface]

http://www.ark.ac.uk/elections/07mu.gif

Made up from most of South Derry and East Tyrone, expect three Shinners to comfortably sail over the line if Martin taking 53% at last year's Westminster election is anything to go by.

Very little chance of any change in anything bar personnel here.

Interesting to see if an Alliance candidate can improve on their best ever performance of 221 votes last time out. :)

[5intheface]

Confirmed candidates for May 2011;

Harry Hutchinson: People Before Profit Alliance

Austin Kelly: SDLP

Gary McCann: Independent

Hugh McCloy: Independent

Ian McCrea: DUP

Michael McDonald: Alliance Party

Patsy McGlone: SDLP

Martin McGuinness: Sinn Fein

Walter Millar: TUV

Ian Milne: Sinn Fein

Francie Molloy: Sinn Fein

Michelle O'Neill: Sinn Fein

Sandra Overend: UUP

[5intheface]

Possible fly in the ointment for Sinn Féin; Former IIP and SF Councillor and brother of Hunger Striker Francis, Oliver Hughes is to stand as an Independent Republican.

Oliver left SF with very little fuss and his pedigree will give him quite a bit of sympathy and a lot of transfers from those still voting for the Shinners.

Can't see him taking a seat or affecting the status quo but he certainly has the potential to build up a healthy anti-GFA vote.

http://www.anphoblacht.com/news/images/2009/04/09/oliver-hughes.jpg

[Cáthasaigh]

Three PSF candidates and only one is not a suspected, long-term British agent. No prizes for guessing which one.

Good luck to Oliver Hughes, nice to see a Republican standing.

[5intheface]

Interesting head to head here with the news that Ian Milne has been added to the SF ticket.

Milne was, along with Hughes and McGlinchey, named as the most wanted men in Ireland after a shoot out near Moneymore. It's widely accepted that Milne was with Francis Hughes the night he was shot and captured on the Glenshane.

It would be without fear of contradiction to say that Francis Hughes would be the most respected man in the history of Republicanism in South Derry so voters there will now have to decide between his brother and his closest comrade.


http://www.anphoblacht.com/news/images/2005/04/21/Milne_Hughes.jpg

Milne and Hughes.

[Sam Lord]

The South Derry independent Republican Unit is to my mind one of the most interesting stories of Ireland in the last 50 years. Someone needs to write a good book about it and document it for posterity.

But I don't want to divert the thread.

[5intheface]

The South Derry independent Republican Unit is to my mind one of the most interesting stories of Ireland in the last 50 years. Someone needs to write a good book about it and document it for posterity.

But I don't want to divert the thread.


No fanfare about it but one of the stalwarts died just a week or 2 back in Letterkenny.

Eugene O'Neill (early50s) from Clady (Greenlough) had been on the run since he was 16. Certainly one of the most active until he was allegedly hit in the head during a shootout with the DR in Maghera.

Mightn't be a great idea to recount all the stories I have heard about him but I do remember his interesting method of dealing with continual fighting at Clady Dance, complete with Armalite.

Back OT, SF running 4 here for the first time;

Martin McGuinness
Francie Molloy
Michelle O'Neill
Ian Milne

[Sam Lord]

No fanfare about it but one of the stalwarts died just a week or 2 back in Letterkenny.



Very sorry indeed to hear that. RIP.

[5intheface]

Final list of candidates;

People Before Profit - Harry Hutchinson
SDLP - Austin Kelly
Independent - Gary McCann
Independent - Hugh McCloy
Democratic - Unionist Ian McCrea
Alliance - Michael McDonald
SDLP - Patsy McGlone
Sinn Féin - Martin McGuinness
Traditional Unionist Voice - Walter Millar
Sinn Féin - Ian Milne
Sinn Féin - Francie Molloy
Sinn Féin - Michelle O'Neill
Ulster Unionist - Sandra Overend

Oliver Hughes has now apparently decided only to stand for the Council seat.

McCann and McCloy are both standing as Independents with their main agenda being opposition to further depletion of services at the Mid-Ulster Hospital in Magherafelt.

http://www.midulstermail.co.uk/news/local/head_to_head_1_2559202

[Kilsally]

Will probably return pretty much as before - I note Coalisland and Dungannon seem to have large `Independent Republican` contingents lined up against Sinn Fein.

[5intheface]

Will probably return pretty much as before - I note Coalisland and Dungannon seem to have large `Independent Republican` contingents lined up against Sinn Fein.

No Ind Rep candidate in Mid-Ulster though. Dungannon is in FST is it not?

[Kilsally]

Dungannon is but not so sure about Coalisland

[5intheface]

Dungannon is but not so sure about Coalisland

Pretty sure Coalisland is in MU but may actually be in Dungannon Council area.

[5intheface]

McGuinness and McCrea elected on first count.

Martin McGuinness SF 8,957 21.0%
Ian McCrea DUP 7,127 16.7%
Michelle O'Neill SF 5,178 12.1%
Patsy McGlone SDLP 5,065 11.9%
Sandra Overend UUP 4,409 10.3%
Francie Molloy SF 4,263 10.0%
Ian Milne SF 2,635 6.2%
Walter Millar TUV 2,075 4.9%
Austin Kelly SDLP 1,214 2.8%
Hugh McCloy Others 933 2.2%
Michael McDonald All 398 0.9%
Harry Hutchinson Others 243 0.6%
Gary McCann Others 241 0.6%

[mutley]

Sandra Overend has been elected for the UUP

[5intheface]

Shifty has announced that he is resigning his Westminster seat to concentrate on his DFM job.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-18396327

SF's other 4 MPs are to resign their Stormont jobs.

This will mean the co-option of 4 new MLAs and a by-election in Mid-Ulster.

That'll only be marginally more exciting than the West Belfast poll after Adams resigned....marginally.

[C. Flower]

Shifty has announced that he is resigning his Westminster seat to concentrate on his DFM job.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-18396327

SF's other 4 MPs are to resign their Stormont jobs.

This will mean the co-option of 4 new MLAs and a by-election in Mid-Ulster.

That'll only be marginally more exciting than the West Belfast poll after Adams resigned....marginally.

Is this something to do with gearing up to form a Government in Dublin ?

[5intheface]

Is this something to do with gearing up to form a Government in Dublin ?

They are about to ban double-jobbing so all the parties have to get it done. Puts a bit of pressure on the Dupers and Alasdair McDonnell.

From what they were saying, it seems like the other 4 would have preferred to stay in Stormont but they didn't fancy the jip they'd get for causing 5 by-elections.

No real prospect that they would have lost any of the seats.