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Excellent Win for SDLP Mgt Ritchie

  • 07-05-2010 08:03PM
    #1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 14,575 ✭✭✭✭


    Wow...

    Looks like the ornithologists amongst the electorate were marked absent when Mgt. Ritchie was swept in to the South Down seat.

    Talk about birds coming home to roost!!:cool:


«1

Comments

  • Closed Accounts Posts: 20,759 ✭✭✭✭dlofnep


    South Down has always been a SDLP stronghold. What exactly is surprising about her win?


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 14,575 ✭✭✭✭FlutterinBantam


    Erm... well the fact that she beat out an incumbent minister for a start.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 20,759 ✭✭✭✭dlofnep


    That doesn't answer my question. South Down has always been a stronghold for SDLP. The last time they lost an election there was 1986.

    So what exactly is surprising?


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 14,575 ✭✭✭✭FlutterinBantam


    erm.. the fact that an incumbent minister was totally tonked and swept off the boards.


    Do you want me to put it any stronger?:rolleyes:


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 12,069 ✭✭✭✭LordSutch


    . . . . And the fact that she beat the unpalatable Catriona Ruane :D


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 20,759 ✭✭✭✭dlofnep


    Hm..... nope.

    The SDLP haven't lost an election in South Down since 1986.

    FTR: Ruane ran in 2005 also, and took a similar level of votes. Infact, she was up 1.7% this time around.

    The fact that the SDLP won was not a surprise. At least for those who are educated about the electorate. Nobody was expecting the SDLP to lose their seat there, and as such - it's not a big shock.. hardly breaking news.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 14,575 ✭✭✭✭FlutterinBantam


    No kiddin':eek:

    An incumbent Minister who tried to dismantle the Edu system and who has a history of South American travel?

    Might not have been a big story for you, but sure as hell was for me!


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 20,759 ✭✭✭✭dlofnep


    Also, on a broader scale of things - If anything, Ritchie has done more harm than good to the SDLP. She has continued their trend of moving into obscurity. The party is down from 17.5% to 16.5% from the 2005 elections, while Sinn Féin have moved up from 24.3 to 25.5%.

    Great work Ms. Ritchie. ;)


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 20,759 ✭✭✭✭dlofnep


    An incumbent Minister who tried to dismantle the Edu system and... [irrelevant red herring]

    But yet her votes were up 1.7%. Go figure. :rolleyes:
    Might not have been a big story for you, but sure as hell was for me!

    Well, it wasn't. The SDLP held a seat they were expected to hold. It's like when Man United win the premiership. You're just like "Yeah.... United won, who cares?"


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 14,575 ✭✭✭✭FlutterinBantam


    Cattie would hardly go 3 sets at this stage would she?


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 20,759 ✭✭✭✭dlofnep


    Up 1.7% from the last elections, pulling 28.7% of the votes. I don't see why she shouldn't if there is electoral support for her.

    To be honest - the only big surprise about the south Down constituency was the drop in 7.6% for the DUP. That was huge.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 863 ✭✭✭DoireNod


    Who the hell is 'Mgt. Ritchie'? If you're going to praise the woman for what was an expected victory, at least have the decency to write her name correctly.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 14,575 ✭✭✭✭FlutterinBantam


    DoireNod wrote: »
    Who the hell is 'Mgt. Ritchie'? If you're going to praise the woman for what was an expected victory, at least have the decency to write her name correctly.


    What exactly do you have a problem with.?


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,379 ✭✭✭snow ghost


    As someone with no political allegiance to any party in the North, I have to say that I don't think her victory was anything great. Also she comes across as a very bad communicator and a poor leader.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 20,759 ✭✭✭✭dlofnep


    I can't say I'm as unbiased as snow ghost, but I wasn't all that impressed with her TV debate either. She seemed very scripted - and it cost the SDLP, as evident by their loss in votes.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 14,575 ✭✭✭✭FlutterinBantam


    Ok .. thats an honest comment.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 20,759 ✭✭✭✭dlofnep


    FlutterinBantam: http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/politics/south-down-election-results-18852005-14756851.html

    That's a log of all the election results for South Down over the years. Might be worth a look over.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,634 ✭✭✭Mayo Exile


    I think a more accurate gauge of Caitriona Ruane's performance as a minister will be in the next Assembly elections, due next Spring I believe. As dlofnep says the SDLP/SF share of vote has shifted little in South Down in the last number of Westminster elections. Little to be excited about here.........


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 863 ✭✭✭DoireNod


    What exactly do you have a problem with.?
    I've stated explicitly what I had a problem with.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 12,069 ✭✭✭✭LordSutch


    Admittedly Mrs Richie hasn't got Statesman like qualities, but I admire her for standing up to the Shinners, and refusing to do what they tell her to do! > And who the **ck does Adams think he is anyway? TELLING her that he is furious because she didn't make an electoral pact with SF in Fermanagh South Tyrone :mad: He needs to get a cop on & stop behaving like he owns the SDLP.


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 14,575 ✭✭✭✭FlutterinBantam


    I happen to know the dude who got 152 votes for the Commies Marxist Lennonist in 1974'

    :eek:


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 14,575 ✭✭✭✭FlutterinBantam


    DoireNod wrote: »
    I've stated explicitly what I had a problem with.

    Did you... sorry, don't understand your problem.

    Apologies.


  • Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 6,798 ✭✭✭karma_


    Mayo Exile wrote: »
    I think a more accurate gauge of Caitriona Ruane's performance as a minister will be in the next Assembly elections, due next Spring I believe. As dlofnep says the SDLP/SF share of vote has shifted little in South Down in the last number of Westminster elections. Little to be excited about here.........

    Indeed. Well done to the OP for demonstrating his complete ignorance about NI politics ...again.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 14,575 ✭✭✭✭FlutterinBantam


    karma_ wrote: »
    Indeed. Well done to the OP for demonstrating his complete ignorance about NI politics ...again.

    heh heh.. I hear Cattie is dusting out the auld Maxply.

    Entered in the Colombian Open Veterans I hear.:D


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,379 ✭✭✭snow ghost


    Camelot wrote: »
    Admittedly Mrs Richie hasn't got stateseman like qualities, but I admire her for standing up to the Shinners, and refusing to do what they tell her to do! > And who the **ck does Adams think he is anyway? TELLING her that he is furious because she didn't make an electoral pact with SF in Fermanagh South Tyrone :mad: He needs to get a cop on & stop behaving like he owns the SDLP.

    I think she played right into the shinners' hands. The Unionist parties, and Orange Order, had already set the ground work to make the Fermanagh ST constituency a sectarian head count by putting up a joint candidate, so the SDLP's claim of staying out of making it a sectarian issue came across as not genuine and somewhat contrived. Many SDLP voters there obviously agreed and didn't want to have their constituency manipulated in this way. The SDLP should have considered that, instead they came across as being more interested in outdoing their nationalist rivals above the needs of their voters there.

    That's how it appeared down here to me anyway.


  • Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 6,798 ✭✭✭karma_


    snow ghost wrote: »
    As someone with no political allegiance to any party in the North, I have to say that I don't think her victory was anything great. Also she comes across as a very bad communicator and a poor leader.

    I have to agree with this. The SDLP have no one to blame but themselves for their slipping in the polls. Ever since John Hume retired it just has not been the same party. I was always an SDLP voter, now I just don't bother as in Ulster Mid there is no way the SDLP could ever overcome the SF votes.

    At the very least SF go door to door to every single household. I haven't seen an SDLP canvasser in years.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 20,759 ✭✭✭✭dlofnep


    heh heh.. I hear Cattie is dusting out the auld Maxply.

    Entered in the Colombian Open Veterans I hear.:D

    Make sense, this does not.

    ?


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 14,575 ✭✭✭✭FlutterinBantam


    karma_ wrote: »
    I

    At the very least SF go door to door to every single household. I haven't seen an SDLP canvasser in years.


    They will do that till the cows come home.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 14,575 ✭✭✭✭FlutterinBantam


    dlofnep wrote: »
    Make sense, this does not.

    ?


    You need to think outside the box.;)


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  • Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 6,798 ✭✭✭karma_


    They will do that till the cows come home.

    Seriously, what does this even mean? And what is the point you're trying to make?


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