Shilliday,

Please be on this site after the election, when you can explain how the party vote belonging to the UUP dropped by 20000 odd votes.

I picked up on that too - I hope his optimism is justified. I'm writing publishing a report on the constituency on Everything Ulster later today - including my prediction of the result.

I don't see the UUP vote dropping right down to 6,000 (or 13% going on 2001 figures). It will undoubtedly drop as Jeffrey takes a significant number of personal votes, but is it really going to be 10k?

Fact UUP pro-agreement
Fact JD well known anti agreement

Its quite simple. The voters in LV if pro agreement would not have voted JD.
he fact is they did vote JD and not UUP.
Shilliday change the record, should you no be out trying to convince the electorate that Basil mcCrea is the Trimble youth rather than spouting nonsense on slugger.
Every day it seems an anti JD blog appears, could it get any more comical.
The UUP are really really beginning to smell of 'eau de desperate'

McCrea's overlooking/ignoring the local government result. The DUP pulled in about 10,000 votes in the Lagan Valley area in the Council elections, much better than their westminter result.

I suspect the truth is somewhere in the middle.

The things is, Jeffrey doesn't realy look or behave like a stereo-typical DUP person. He seems quite likeable, and certainly isn't a Free-P.

My bet would be he will retain the seat but his majority from 2001 will be halved.

Kind of agree Gav, it seems common sense. Think my prediction is closer (in the result, not the accuracy) than yours though:

"Prediction
Jeffrey Donaldson (DUP) 39%
(with Basil McCrea coming a close second on 32%)"

I thought Slugger was a site for those with an interest in politics yet none of the above choose to comment on the content of McCrea's interview except his prediction of victory, moorons!

Perhaps next week we can read the thoughts of the other McCrea, should be quite a contrast!

I thought the biggest laugh of the night was reading the stuff on strangford then I scrolled down to this! I'm off to bed - at least I'm laughing!

queens_unionist
Happy to debate with you directly. Have you any direct experience of Lagan Valley?

queens_unionist

Before the last assembly elections Jeffrey Donaldson published a rival manifesto to that of the UUP, but he remained within the party. When he contested the election he stood as a UUP candidate and the electorate not only voted for him personally but they identified him with the UUP and voted accordingly.

The two other anti-agreement UUP candidates were either voted into office without reaching the quota, Mrs Norah Beare, or failed to get the required first preference votes etc. Both in turn left the UUP were the former joined the DUP with Jeffrey several weeks after he had finished conning the electorate into believing that he was a decent fellow.

Jeffrey did what he did to gain power for he knew he had burned his bridges in the UUP, he saw a chance, and he subsequently played a blinder. But it has to be remembered he did call repeated meetings of the Unionist Council were he was always defeated by an absolute majority and were he always failed to go for the leadership thereby he is guilty of something.

Alex S
"Perhaps next week we can read the thoughts of the other McCrea, should be quite a contrast!"

The 'other' McCrea could tell us his thoughts as a candidate with the distinct possibility of actually getting to Westminster, not just being the person who happened to catch the UUP grenade with the pin out in Lagan Valley.

A little experience of lagan valley, Basil
More knowledge of the best candidate, JD, and
knowledge of some of the elctorate as well, and this is not hardcore DUP voters.
These were ordinary people. Decent incomes, or is it decent people ordinary incomes, either way there decent and still not voting for you so it seems as though your slogn is flawed.
Quite apt as well since your poster background looks more like an SDLP one than an Ulster Unionist one. Was the green background tactical?

Being a voter in Lagan Valley, I can personally say i voted for JD because of him personally and his principles. I did not vote for him because he was an Ulster Unionist, in fact that was probably his only downfall!! JD will romp home to victory in this election and Trimble will see what an asset he forced out of his party. The only time Basil will be in westminster is if he takes a holiday to London!!

Well said true blue.
I think you opinion is similar to an awful lot in LV...

I have voted for Jeffrey in every election that he has stood for in Lagan Valley, and for Jim Molyneaux before him, I haven't actually missed a vote since I reached the age of consent back in 1964 in what was then part of South Down. 2003 was the last time. When he joined the DUP I consider my vote as having been stolen and am not alone in making that assumption. Jeffrey treated the people of Lagan Valley with contempt in his actions and will never receive my vote again. I don't know much about Basil McCrea but he will be getting my vote and those of most people I know.

Jeffrey left before he was kicked out. There was a strong dislike for him within the UUP, this is because he stood by his principles and his own conscience like when he walked out of the negotiations back in 1998. He wasnt going to let Trimble bully him into being another puppet. how can you blame the man for sticking by his beliefs. And im sure the people of Lagan Valley will fully endorse him and return him as MP once again. If i was you id get out and help Basil Fawlty for he will sure need it esp with those SDLP posters of his!!

Basil McCrea's problem is that a lot of voters do not know him, however ask the same voters about what they know about Jeffrey Donaldson and a lot of it is negative, trouble maker etc. The result will be interesting, in the meantime a challenge to all Jeff's many fans, why will he make a better MP than Basil McCrea?

Jeffreys record speaks for its-self, it is well known of the work that he undertakes. Basil even criticised Jeffrey for doing to much work!! making a jibe about "potholes and crossroads"!! No harm to Basil but i dont see how road safety is anythoing to be joked about and whats wrong with trying to get roads fixed especially the state some of them are in!!!! Jeffreys voting record in parliment is almost twice that of a certain Mr Trimble!!!! And what about the decency of local councillors Jim Dillon, Bill Gardiner-Watson and Sam Johnston who petitioned the party to throw jeffrey out!! Thats hardkly the actions of decent people. The UUP slogan Should be "Decent people USED to vote Ulster Unionist"

Jeffreys record speaks for its-self, it is well known of the work that he undertakes. Basil even criticised Jeffrey for doing to much work!! making a jibe about "potholes and crossroads"!! No harm to Basil but i dont see how road safety is anythoing to be joked about and whats wrong with trying to get roads fixed especially the state some of them are in!!!! Jeffreys voting record in parliment is almost twice that of a certain Mr Trimble!!!! And what about the decency of local councillors Jim Dillon, Bill Gardiner-Watson and Sam Johnston who petitioned the party to throw jeffrey out!! Thats hardkly the actions of decent people. The UUP slogan Should be "Decent people USED to vote Ulster Unionist"

True Blue, is it an MP's job to see that pot holes are filled in or is it their job to represent their constituents in Westminster lobbying for more money in the first place, as Basil McCrea has said, an MP is his constituents representive in Westminster, not Westminster's representive in the constituency. As for all the work Jeffrey claims to do, most is done by his assistant with Jeffrey taking the credit.

I used to work for Basil.

He is an egomanical halfwit. A man who spends a good deal of money employing experts only to disregard every single piece of advice that was ever given to him.

The end result, millions of pounds of other people's money wasted and dozens of jobs lost. This man single handedly destroyed an IT business when the rest of the industry was on the up.

If you want someone who will talk and talk and talk but achieve very little vote Basil, talking is the only thing he can do.