In discussions last night it was generally agreed that this was Durkan saying *I'm the leader, folks*.

It is hard to read between the lines of what must be the most obscure political communique in years, but the gist seems to be - we're not for merger, but of course we will merge.

And in the words that classic proverb - if not now, then when?

Pottinger was always going to be a hard seat to hold for SF.SF won it the last time by 33 votes and that was the first time a nationalist had ever been elected in E.Belfast.

Odds were the transfer system would have benefited Alliance.

I am genuinely amazed and more than a little perturbed by the extraordinary magnaimity afforded to the SDLP in what we might term thye "establishment" media.
The usual rigoour of investigative journalism has abated before the curious desire to laud and aggrandise the Stoop-Down-Low-Party fortunes. Where is the caustic diatribe for a party on the wane, where the vigorous criticism of a party that, despite the best efforts of right wing and centre parties down south, has vitiated its electoral base?
To those whose spines tingle with indignation at attacks on the SDLP, think for one moment how the vultures of Ireland's media and intelligentsia might have reacted had Sinn Féin suffered a similar fate.
A garden party and golf classic at the Sunday Indo perhaps?
A bottle of the best claret for Monsieur McDowell?
All of this cotton-wool analysis of the Stops smacks of a cartain Hans Christian Anderson tale about an emperor and new clothes.

Amazed you may well have a good point about the media being less critical than it should be of SDLP policy and/or statements, but name-calling and victimhood won't convince anyone given the obvious disdain for the SDLP apparent in your post.

Why should the media attack a party just for losing support? I would suggest it more useful to look at the reasons for the decline rather than engage in gloating and/or verbal attacks.

The media (with the exception of the Daily Ireland) aren't there to promote Sinn Fein.

Amazed: I like your style. Would you care to write an analysis piece for Slugger?

Where is the caustic diatribe for a party on the wane

on the other hand, as pointed out in the Grauniad article blogged by our esteemed leader :)

"Sinn Féin's share fell back slightly from 2004's European elections, while the SDLP's advanced."

Looks like Derry,not West Tyrone,was the SDLP's Stalingrad.
Amazed,the SDLP,a party not contaminated by even a whiff of semtex,held the pass for northern nationalism during the dark days of internment,Thatcherism etc..

What happened in Derry is interesting. Republicans in Derry truly felt that the seat was within their grast, hence their pre-election confidence. This may have been a tactical mistake as a unionist plus a sleeping middle class catholic vote rallied to the save the SDLP from oblivion.
Unionists had obvious reasons however I feel that the SDLP skillfully, not a word usually associated with the SDLP, used the fear of a two party system in the north to motivate its sleeping vote. Sinn Fein in Derry needs to reflect on this election and reassess its strategy in order to mount another challenge in Foyle in four years time.

Mick, I'd love to. Send me what you want and will see how I'm fixed.

At seems that in the short term the Balkanisation of the SDLP that was practised by Hume, Mallon and Mc Grady helped to win the SDLP two seats.

However, Newry & Armagh shows that this is a short term phenomena. In virtually every other area they are crumbling. Sth Belfast will be unionist again in 4 years.

The SDLP had a tremendous amount of goodwill from the media and Free State politicos, the intervention of whom was used as a further weapon to beat SF. SF was under scrutiny like never before, result, the SDLP who should have prospered fell even further.

Pat

"Sth Belfast will be unionist again in 4 years."

It almost sounds like you're willing it to be so. Don't you think it's better in the hands of McDonnell than Spratt?

why assume fianna fail to be a partner for the sdlp, surely fine gael is their natural hinterland, both being firmly of the partitionist mindset,which both disguise as,"look this is the way it is and until it changes " and then neither even pretend to be trying to end partition which for nationalists in the north is the be all and end all.This is why sinn fein ,in spite of attacks by 3 governments and an impressive list of media organisations on two continents,continued to make gains.Post nationalism.....no thanks!

"The SDLP had a tremendous amount of goodwill from the media"

What news coverage were you watching in the run-up to the elections??? Certainly not the same broadcasts I was watching! The media WRONGLY, UNFAIRLY and CONSTANTLY predicted defeat the entire way though the campaign!