South Belfast Constituency

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2007 Results

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It's all about the final seat here.

Should be 1 seat comfortably for each of the 5 big parties but the SDLP are far from guaranteed to hang on to their second.

Alasdair McDonnell took the Westminster seat comfortably but he would have been the beneficiary of many Alliance votes to keep Unionists/SF out.

SF will aim to get Maskey elected on the first count, potentially making the SDLP's chances slimmer. He came close last time but so transfer unfriendly was he that it took until count 10 for him to secure his seat.

Conall McDevitt contests the seat he took over from Carmel Hanna for the first time.

Ruth Patterson is the second DUP candidate here, she blotted her copybook recently by feigning a coughing fit in Belfast CC because someone was talking Irish. This may however help her cause.

My favourite stat from SB; Imagine getting 22 votes and not being last!

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Confirmed candidates for May 2011

Clare Bailey: Green Party

Brian Faloon: People Before Profit Alliance

Mark Finlay: UUP

Anna Lo: Alliance Party

Paddy Lynn: Workers Party

Alex Maskey: Sinn Fein

Conall McDevitt: SDLP

Alasdair McDonnell: SDLP

Michael McGimpsey: UUP

Paddy Meehan: Socialist Party

Ruth Patterson: DUP

Samuel Smyth: Procapitalism

Jimmy Spratt: DUP

Nico Torregrosa: UKIP

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How's this for an alternative Ulster?

Brian Faloon, the original drummer with Stiff Little Fingers has announced he is standing in South Belfast for People Before Profit.

Went to see the Stiffs in the Ulster Hall in November '82, their last home gig before the first break-up and got in to see the band afterwards. Although Faloon had left them 3 years earlier, he was there and they signed everything we had including DMs which were never worn again.

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1st Count

Anna Lo All 6,390 19.8%
Alasdair McDonnell SDLP 4,527 14.0%
Jimmy Spratt DUP 4,045 12.5%
Alex Maskey SF 4,038 12.5%
Ruth Patterson DUP 3,800 11.8%
Conall McDevitt SDLP 3,191 9.9%
Michael McGimpsey UUP 2,988 9.2%
Mark Finlay UUP 1,394 4.3%
Clare Bailey Others 899 2.8%
Brian Faloon Others 414 1.3%
Paddy Meehan Others 234 0.7%
Nico Torregrosa Others 234 0.7%
Paddy Lynn Others 135 0.4%
Samuel Smyth Others 29 0.1%

Anna Lo (All) elected

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Alasdair McDonnell elected for SDLP.

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Candidates for 2015

Green
Clare Bailey

DUP
Jonathan Bell

Alliance Party
Paula Bradshaw

Workers Party
Lily Kerr

Conservative
Ben Manton

UUP
Rodney McCune

SDLP
Alasdair McDonnell

Sinn Féin
Máirtín Ó Muilleoir

UKIP
Bob Stoker


SB has a Unionist majority but splits have allowed the SDLP to hold this seat for over 10 years. SF have their most popular candidate outside the Republican movement, Máirtín Ó Muilleoir the former Lord Mayor standing here who could damage the incumbent's chances. On the Unionist side it's all change. Jonathan 'Clanger' Bell has his first go for the DUP and the Alliance and UKIP candidates are both ex-UUP. Alliance votes have often helped the SDLP here too.