Search Results for “rodney connor” – Slugger O'Toole

Connor Applies for Election Court Review of FST Count

Pete Baker on May 27, 2010, 3:45 pm | Readers 8

The BBC confirms that Rodney Connor has asked the Election Court in Belfast to review his narrow defeat in Fermanagh and South Tyrone. Sinn Fein’s Michelle Gildernew won the seat by just four votes after three recounts.

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Unionist Pacts: Deal or No Deal?

Michael Palmer on June 14, 2023, 7:05 am | Readers 6302

two human hands painting

Although it has only been some weeks since the results of the 2023 Council elections, already there is discussion within unionist circles on how best unionism can prepare itself for the next foreseeable election: the general election, which is scheduled to be held no later than the 28th January 2025. The Purpose of Pacts Nationalists and republicans view unionist pacts very negatively, even though political nationalism and republicanism have used pacts historically in attempts and to actually defeat unionist candidates. …

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Tom Elliott and the battle for Fermanagh and South Tyrone…

Choyaa on November 30, 2019, 7:44 am | Readers 5849

Tom Elliot is very much the reluctant candidate in the Fermanagh and South Tyrone Westminster contest. I wanted to focus on this election battle and give outsiders a little context on the contest from a Unionist perspective. Within FST, Unionists are the minority community. If you ask any Unionist within the constituency what they expect from the election, the answer is a Sinn Fein victory. Having said that, there is a strong desire for representation at Westminster, a strong desire …

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Northern Ireland looks set for the most unpredictable general election in its history

Peter Donaghy (Salmon of Data) on November 16, 2019, 12:31 pm | Readers 16321

With the names of the candidates for this year’s general election finalized, Northern Ireland looks set to have an uncharacteristically unpredictable election, with seemingly competitive races in 10 of its 18 constituencies. The chart above shows the results of this week’s new LucidTalk poll, compared with the poll from August this year and previous election results. It suggests that support for Sinn Féin and the DUP has fallen back from levels at previous elections, and that Alliance have built on …

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Dormant Stormont: Where is a good Reviving Spell when you need one?

Jason Conlon on June 29, 2017, 7:57 am | Readers 1149

On Monday afternoon John Lennon appeared, resplendent, at the doors of Stormont Castle. He paused, briefly, before swooping straight down the stone steps with none other than Marilyn Monroe herself. Then as the light in East Belfast shifted slightly, Gerry Adams came into focus; shaded 60s spectacles atop a wizened old nose. Michelle obediently came up to his ear, whispering something subtle, soft. And then, as the assembled throngs basked in his bearded wizardry, the Grand Master began to speak. …

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‘The Fearghal McKinney effect’

Daithi McKay on May 8, 2017, 11:48 pm | Readers 3273

There obviously won’t be any pact between the SDLP and Sinn Féin anytime soon and the latest comments from Michelle O’Neill and Colum Eastwood reaffirm their party positions. Eastwood is keeping one eye to the unionist voters in Foyle and especially South Down that will be considering voting strategically for his party to keep Sinn Féin out. A pact with republicans may scare the horses. No pact is good news for the SDLP in South Down and Foyle, less so …

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Fermanagh South Tyrone: one day a unionist will stand on that stage as victor.

Turgon on May 8, 2015, 7:47 pm | Readers 2616

As a number of people have noted 5 years ago I did a blog in the aftermath of Rodney Connor’s defeat in Fermanagh South Tyrone. Many unionists (like myself) were disconsolate. Many unionists and nationalists regarded FST as lost to unionism forever. It had in Gildernew a relatively young MP who had just been re elected for the second time; a unionist pact had failed to defeat her and the greening of the west had almost completed, threatening to bring …

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The Democratic Peoples Republic of Northern Ireland

Kris Nixon (Belfast Barman) on March 22, 2015, 3:06 pm | Readers 1447

“I like the idea of democracy. You have to have someone everyone distrusts” – Terry Pratchett Election pacts, who wants ’em, who needs ’em, who gets ’em? That seems to be the name of the game this week, I’m sure not everybody got what they wanted, but if nothing else, a few party higher-ups have added quite a lot of chapters to their autobiographies. Every cloud and all that jazz… I don’t get election pacts, it makes no sense …

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Fifty Shades of Green – a possible unionist comeback in Fermanagh and South Tyrone

Peter Donaghy (Salmon of Data) on February 18, 2015, 10:39 pm | Readers 3684

The date was the 9th of June 1983. The Police were top of the UK charts with “Every Breath You Take”, Pioneer 10 was passing the orbit of Neptune to become the first man-made object to leave the major planets of the Solar System, and Ken Maginnis of the UUP took the Westminster seat of Fermanagh and South Tyrone from Owen Carron of Sinn Féin. Owen Carron had won the seat in a 1981 by-election following the death of Anti …

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Unionist Pact still possible

Turgon on February 14, 2015, 7:22 pm | Readers 2146

The saga of whether or not there will be a unionist pact continues with Mike Nesbitt suggesting that he may still be open to an agreement. He stated: “Without a deal, without an understanding there is a real prospect there could be no unionist representing the capital city of Northern Ireland in Westminster on the 8th May,” he said. “With a deal, who knows? Maybe three of the four could be unionist but they can’t all be DUP.” The seats …

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Next Westminster Election in NI – Early Preview

Gerry Lynch on August 13, 2012, 7:45 am | Readers 586

The mid-1990s review of boundaries raised political temperatures to boiling point, with SDLP claims of gerrymandering and human rights abuses. The last review, in the 2000s, was a relatively tame affair, helped by it only tinkering around the edges, and the soon-to-be-abandoned review was also carried out with a notable lack of histrionics. Is it perhaps because Westminster politics is becoming less relevant to a Northern Ireland where devolution seems firmly established? In any case, I have not seen a …

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Martin not for the FM role (not this year at least)…

Mick Fealty on April 12, 2011, 9:05 am | Readers 23

In the first of a series of analysis pieces for Stratagem, Nicholas Whyte looks at an issue which is only obtusely refered to in public but which may be responsible for the only substantial voter churn in this election: who gets to be First Minister: The St Andrews Agreement is perfectly clear: the nominating officer of the largest political party after the election gets to nominate the new First Minister of Northern Ireland; the largest political party of the other …

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DUP shifting towards the centre – that U-turn – and what Peter Robinson didn’t say in his speech

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on November 27, 2010, 10:58 pm | Readers 47

Some final thoughts on the DUP conference. Sure there was all of the buzz and razamataz of flag waving, jeering and clapping as well as the conservative morality. It was the DUP’s best-attended conference. The overflow car park overflowed – a local church that was running a craft fair and wasn’t impressed when their car park filled up with non-shoppers! There were cars parked in the hotel’s tennis courts! The men were well dressed and mostly wore ties. The younger …

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“three extra votes remain unaccounted for” (Michelle Gildernew remains MP for Fermanagh and South Tyrone)

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on October 22, 2010, 1:00 pm | Readers 30

At lunchtime, the Lord Chief Justice delivered his judgment on Rodney Connor’s petition and declared that Michelle Gildernew was duly elected as MP for Fermanagh and South Tyrone constituency. He found that “there were some issues with how the counts were conducted” and three extra votes remain unaccounted for. However, the Newsletter report Sir Declan Morgan’s view that Even if those votes were introduced in breach of the rules and if they had all been counted in favour of the …

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Thoughts on the UUP leadership

Turgon on September 26, 2010, 11:58 pm | Readers 23

One of the less kind texters to Good Morning Ulster on the day after Tom Elliott’s election described him as a non entity leader. It calls to mind that Churchill is reported to have said of Clement Attlee (though he denied it vehemently): “An empty taxi drew up outside 10 Downing Street and Clement Attlee got out of it.” Tom Elliott seems a modest man, again a denied Churchill quote about Attlee: “A modest man, but then he has so …

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Fermanagh South Tyrone election reaches court

Turgon on September 13, 2010, 1:41 pm | Readers 34

The ongoing row over Michelle Gildernew’s election as Fermanagh / South Tyrone MP is due to reach the courts today. Rodney Connor is claiming there were breaches of the statutory rules and is seeking a scrutiny of the votes, a recount and a determination that Ms Gildernew was not duly elected. The victorious Sinn Fein candidate insists, however, that she was properly returned last month by the people of Fermanagh and South Tyrone as their MP. Connor claims to have …

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Judge points to lack of verification of FST’s disputed votes…

Mick Fealty on September 8, 2010, 11:59 am | Readers 5

Ian Paisley Junior praying for DUP votes in North Antrim at the 2009 European Election verification in the Kings Hall ... or trying to see first preferences

Interesting piece in the Irish News today on the Fermanagh South Tyrone election result, in which Sinn Fein’s Agricultural Minister Michelle Gildernew pipped the Unionist Unity candidate, Rodney Connor by just four votes. Mr Connor will be raising the issue of why six more votes than were issued turned up in the final count was not investigated by the deputy returning officer on the night/day in a petition at a three day hearing in Dungannon next week. The Irish News …

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FST challenge destined to fail?

Blank on May 27, 2010, 9:10 pm | Readers 13

The last time a Unionist attempted to have a court overturn an electoral declaration in Fermanagh South Tyrone was when James Cooper (UUP) failed in his challenge over the 2001 result where he was defeated by 53 votes. At the time Justice Carswell agreed there had been irregularities at a polling station in Garrison but rejected the appeal: That said, the issue which we as an election court have to decide is whether the election in the constituency of Fermanagh …

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Every unionist action should demonstrate life’s better with the union

dodrade on May 26, 2010, 8:49 pm | Readers 12

Since the election I have been avidly reading the debate on this site regarding the future direction of unionism, with two themes standing out, unionist unity, and providing a positive vision for unionism focusing primarily on “bread and butter issues”. Some, like the DUP and David McNarry have stressed the former, others like Basil McCrea and Liam Clarke the latter. Personally, I cannot see why Unionism cannot do both. Divided unionism has always been a contradiction in terms, and the …

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FST redux – the defeated

Blank on May 12, 2010, 9:42 pm | Readers 14

Thanks to Aldous Duke we have something most didn’t get hear on election day: Rodney Connor’s ungracious defeat speech – taking time to round on Douglas Bain and threaten legal options -how many other candidates didn’t congratulate the victor, praise the count staff etc? A humilated Fearghal McKinney attacking unionism for not offering ‘choice’.

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