Any comment from Gerry Adams?

apparently a very wide estimate of 1000 votes or so!
mcgimp on 7000 or so

10333 AMcD
9104 JS
7265 MMcGimp
2882 AM
2??? GR

not sure of figure for alliance

RTE calling it for McDonnell.

This results takes the icing of the cake for the DUP. Shame on Unionism for handing two seats over to the enemy.

I am depressed now.

Mc Donnell it is. Well done!

So heres wating for next time's general election!!
roll on the DUP machine

South Belfast

McDonnell SDLP 10339
Maskey SF 2882
McGimpsey UUP 7263
Spratt DUP 9104
Rice All 2012
Gilby 235
Lynn 193

GR's vote is 2012
LG 235
LPJ 193
AMCD 10339
JS 9104
McMGimp 7263

10339- Mc Donnell
7263- Mc Gimpsey
9104- Spratt

If true, this will be the first time in almost a hundred years a nationalist candidate has succeeded as a result of a split unionist vote.


In 1906 Joe Devlin was elected to Westminster as the representative for West Belfast with 4,138 votes, compared to 4,122 votes for Unioist J.R. Smiley and 153 votes for Liberal Unionist A.M. Carlisle.


Strange days indeed.

VFYP 325
SF 2882
SDLP 10339
UUP 7263
APNI 2012
DUP 9104

SDLP WIN!

Its a slightly dissapointing result for Sinn Féin I must admit and Maskey's percentage has gone down from 03. However it MUST be stated that many of McDonnell's vote could well be Sinn Féin supporters voting tactically for the SDLP. Let's wait untill the council results on Monday before we find out the true state of play.

Congratulations to Mr. McDonnell.

Well done to the good Doctor. I'm sure he'll be better than his predessor, it won't be hard.

Interesting to see how Sinn Fein spins this one. Tactical voting OK in South Belfast, but not in Foyle?

Crow - what about FST in 2001?

I don't see your point GavBelfast. I don't think anybody should vote tactically. People should vote for their preferred party. It's a disgrace that this electoral system encourages people not to do this.

JT

I think winning on a "Unionist split" means a sole nationalist candidate winning a seat that has a unionist majority

Oh Goodness do Unionists always have to make a spectacle out of themselves. The Spratt speech cheered by the Union Jack waving screaming woman? LOL Did you see the fella tunring up his eyes
OH LOLOL Paisley is singing!!!!!!

Yes, well done Dr McD-he has proven to Unionists before he's not a one-community representative.
Best man won, Unionism in south Belfast needs to look very closely at the kind of representatives it's offering to the electorate.

he came through even though he was 1300 down on last time!!

well done SDLP - a success at last for "Stop the DUP!";

it's the m-ct's wot won it

that's 10:8 on the unionism/nationalism split (unless of course Arlene or Gerry Kelly can pull off a shock)

I haven't got the turnout figures to hand but didn't the seat lose a lot of voters under the new registration system? Dropping absolute totals is not unusual in such circumstances.

Very interesting decline in McDonnel's vote. Hypothetically, it seems like he lost the pro-agreement unionist vote that he picked up in 2001 to McGimpsey, retained the tactical SF vote and made some in-roads on the WC and Alliance vote.

Never understood the comments that South Belfast could not be won with 10,000 votes.

"it's the m-ct's wot won it"
and the m-cps deciding that pruning the roses and watering the petunias was more important than voting for a pair of oiks.

Sinn Fein comfortable second in North Antrim, they were fourth here in 2001. The UUP candidate was very poor here. Curious to see if council elections follow the same trend on Monday.

"it's the m-ct's wot won it"
Just noticed the errant apostrophe.
Rather disappointing MCT, I do hope you're not a "nouvelle arrivée" to the bourgeois?

Pardon me, that should of course read "bourgeoisie"- I'll blame the rather fine '97 Tokaj we're presently supping!

peter,

A few days ago you said that Ian Paisley would have alot of questions to answer if s.belfast went to a nationalist.
Quiet clearly it is Mc Gimpsey who has got all the questions to answer. He should hang his head in shame for handing this unionist seat to a nationalist.
And he has the cheek to say he will be back ib four years time!

peter,

A few days ago you said that Ian Paisley would have alot of questions to answer if s.belfast went to a nationalist.
Quiet clearly it is Mc Gimpsey who has got all the questions to answer. He should hang his head in shame for handing this unionist seat to a nationalist.
And he has the cheek to say he will be back ib four years time!

Dup- Orweel lives- Peace is war, war is Peace
DUP+ SINN FEIN
SINN FEIN+ DUP=

@my maths are bad.....WANKERS!"

Paul

Stuck at work on a Sunday, I have to admit that the thought of a decent Tokaj and the Sunday papers is rather taunting me. I agonised about the apostrophe, but decided that "m-cts" wouldn't look right. I take as my watchword the "Eats,
Shoots and Leaves" approach to punctuation - that it is convention, intended only to assist the reader in ascertaining sense, and as such, can be adapted to sense's requirements.

I am only a "nouvel arrivé" (what made you think I was female?) in the sense that my whole generation of M-CTs is.

Use of apostrophes after acronyms is standard in the US.

One further point of note - McDonnell mentioned in his speech that he received "a vote in every ballot box" - a sign of liberal Unionist voters tactically voting again?

No, a sign of mixed marriages in Belvoir and students in The Village! ;-)

We'll get a better idea with the local results, though as the seat breaches three boundaries it could be difficult to judge accurately. Do any locals know if there was any sign on the doorsteps of DUP haters deserting McGimpsey for McDonnell?