Some initial reactions to last night’s general election debate starring our local politicians
After observing the televisual oddity that was the first national leaders’ debate last Thursday, hopes were high for another evening to rekindle fresh political discussion. Unfortunately though, this vague and hurried debate is unlikely to fire up the jaded masses.
BY BRENDAN HUGHES
In typical UTV style, the debate was a low-budget affair, set in the same studio as the station’s main news broadcasts. Veteran journalist Jim Dougal chaired the proceedings, taking questions from an audience of first-time voters plonked in the middle of the production crew. Unlike the ITV-hosted national debate, Dougal decidedly steered the discussion, using the broad questions from the young’uns as a springboard for further sparring.
The four party leaders – Margaret Ritchie (SDLP), Peter Robinson (DUP), Gerry Adams (Sinn Féin) and Reg Empey (UCUNF) – spent the majority of the 60-minute debate making fairly generic, obvious, and crowd-pleasing points. But I suppose how can one disagree with such wish-wash rhetoric as, “We need to protect the elderly” (Gerry Adams) and “We shouldn’t have any further cuts” (Peter Robinson)?
Margaret Ritchie clashed with Gerry Adams over Sinn Fein’s refusal to take up their seats in Westminster, in response to which Adams questioned SDLP’s attendance and influence in Parliament. Nationalist unity? Maybe next election.
On the other side of the spectrum, Reg Empey was keen to discuss the Peter Robinson “land deal accusations” concerning a lucrative ‘ransom strip’ sold to Robinson for five pounds. Regardless of the Unionists’ clash, an oblivious Robinson made some classic pun-filled retorts: “Those who throw muck always end up losing ground”, and, “It’s very cheap politics to be honest.” Indeed it is Peter…
In closing, Dougal said to viewers, “I hope that you are now more informed than before”. Unfortunately Jim, judging by the vacant expressions of your studio audience, I wouldn’t count on it.
Their wasnt a politician in the end, tribal politics is a joke, time this country moved on
Trust UTV to make something that could be so exciting, tense, angry and downright golden, actually be a dull affair. Well done. EPIC FAIL. Then again, I’d better slag the politicians too. Not even they made it un-sleeping pill esque.
@ Councillor
wishful thinking, but time to join the real world. People have been voting along religious and community background lines for the last 150 years and thats not going to change. The main issue in Northern Ireland politics is the tribal divisions, why would people votve for anything else?
On a general note Jim Dougal was a disgrace, Peter Robinson’s and Gerry Adams’ personal lives are not election issues yet Dougal sought to drag the debate into the dirt.
Reg Empty needs to realise that Peter Robinson is much more intelligent than he is and Margaret Ritchie was as articulate and intelligent as ever.
When Jim Dougal asked her who she thought should conduct inquries into Adams’ and Robinson’s personal affairs Ritchie said “an independant arbitrator”. Seriously Margaret? Who else was going to do it? A birthday party clown? What in the name of God were the SDLP thinking when they elected that cretin as their leader?
Still, at least she didn’t make the same gaff as last week on UTV when she claimed that Newry’s Daisy Hill Hospital was a huge public sector employer in the South Down constituency when it’s clearly in Newry & Armagh, or claiming that Alex Maskey’s withdrawl from South Belfast was an attempt to unseat Alisdar McDonnell when Maskey’s withdrawl hands McDonnell and extra 2500 votes.
She’s a moron.
The SDLP say they don’t want a sectarian head count but you can guarentee that their strategists will be pouring through the electoral register counting “green” and “orange” votes, the same as Sinn Féin, the DUP and the UUP.
Also the UUP have no MPs because Lady Sylvia Herman has resigned from the party so why they were invited to the debate as one of the major parties is beyond me.
The UUP gained 17.8% of the vote at the last general election that’s why they were invited as one of the main parties. The suggestion that serious allegations against Robinson and Adams should not be put to them during a debate is laughable. As for describing Ritchie as a cretin and moron.. very articulate. Unkownmale it’s as well you’re unknown otherwise you’d have just made a complete fool of yourself!
http://www.facebook.com/tiarnan.millar
That’s me, I stand by my remarks. Cretin is articulate and Margaret Ritchie is a cretin and a moron.
You have just made a fool of yourself by suggesting that Margaret Ritchie is neither of these things. Here’s a little maths for you.
2005 General Election
(SDLP) Alisdair McDonnell – 10,339 votes
(DUP) Jimmy Spratt – 9104 votes
(UUP) Michael McGimpsey – 7263 votes
(SF) Alex Maskey – 2882 votes
Now, I, and most rational thinking people would imagine that Maskey’s withdrawl will mean more people who normally vote Sinn Féin will be voting SDLP, and without taking boundary changes etc. into account you can expect McDonnell to poll about 12,000 votes. With a three-way unionist split this time round you can expect Jimmy Spratt’s vote to go down, less so for Paula Bradshaw (UCUNF) but a lot of people will be turned off by the Conservative pact.
Now I have a friend who’s father is a bookmaker, and it most certainly was not dole giros that paid for the bronze horse statue in his front garden. Paddy Power for example have McDonnell at 1/2 to retain his seat. If you have taken nothing else from what I have said on board I can assure you that bookies are normally right.
Now I would like you to explain to me how, given the statistics I have just presented and the fact that when Margaret Ritchie said when asked about Maskey’s withdrawal that it was a Sinn Féin stunt aimed at unseating McDonnell, the terms cretin or moron are inappropriate?
I would like you to explain to me how the terms cretin or moron are inappropriate when Margaret Ritchie said that Daisy Hill Hospital was in South Down, the constituency in which she is running, when it’s in Newry & Armagh. Daisy Hill actually gives its name to an electoral ward in Newry & Armagh.
I would like you to explain to me why you thought that it was appropriate that Jim Dougal should question Peter Robinson about his wife’s extra-marital affair and the effective end of his marraige, or why it was appropriate that Jim Dougal should ask Gerry Adams about the systematic rape of his niece and other family members?
Why for example did Jim Dougal not ask Reg Empty why their only MP, Lady Sylvia Hermon, the widow of the former Chief Constable, was so repulsed by the thought of a pact with the Tories that she resigned from the party? Or why he did he not ask Margaret Ritchie why she was running for a third concurrent elected position despite her opposition to double-jobbing?
You are an idiot
Also at least Sinn Féin have said up front that they’re not going to take their seats, but after the SDLP have taken their oath of loyalty to the Queen you can expect attendances like this from your SDLP MP
The average attendance for any MP in 2005-06 was 72%. Mark Durkan was there 28.6%, Alisdair McDonnell was there 28.9% and Eddie McGrady was there 14.6%.
In 2006-07 (average 64.4)
Durkan – 14%
McDonnell – 15.8%
McGrady – 12.2%
In 2009-10 (average 64.1)
Durkan – 33%
McDonnell – 5%
McGrady – 18%
So if you believe their claim in their party election broadcasts that “we’ll be there” you’re a fool.
The SDLP have said that they’re for equal LGBT rights yet each of their MPs has voted against Gay Rights legislation.
I don’t really care for the SDLP but I do take issue with the categorizing them with Sinn Fein saying they want the secterian headcount. They actually work very closely with the Presbyterian churches and are supportive of cross community.
Huh?? I thought it was a very entertaining and interesting debate… better than any edition of the gown anyway
Emma, would you kindly point out to me where I said the SDLP wanted a sectarian headcount?
Was it this quote?
“The SDLP say they don’t want a sectarian head count but you can guarentee that their strategists will be pouring through the electoral register counting “green” and “orange” votes, the same as Sinn Féin, the DUP and the UUP.”
You’ll notice that I said the same as Sinn Féin, the DUP and the UUP, yet you chose to pick Sinn Féin out of this. Can’t help but wonder why…
I said they would be counting green and orange voters on the electoral register. Its called the Torrent system.
For a party not to do this in Northern Ireland, despite your thoughts and aspirations for an end to tribal politics and visions of a shared future, is political suicide.
You and Margaret Ritchie could learn a lot from each other.
If Sinn Féin and the SDLP had of agreed an election pact in South Belfast the chances are that unionists then would then have agreed a joint candidate, and this certainly would have prevented McDonnell from taking the seat. As Sinn Féin pulled out at the last minute without agreement from the SDLP, this prevented this scenario from happening.
Just with regard to where Newry’s hospital is situated, half of Newry is in South Down and half of it is in South Armagh. Although the hospital and indeed Newry aren’t in the South Down electoral constituency, a lot of people from the South Down constituency depend on it. Artificial electoral boundaries don’t really come in to play when you’re talking about jobs or health. Indeed with Newry being the closest major town/city and with a very large number of people from that constituency working there, you would expect your representative to campaign for services there.
with with all due regard Liam I’ve lived in Newry for 23 years and I know where the constituency boundaries are. Whilst you are correct that Newry is split between Counties Armagh and Down the fact remains that this has no bearing on the constituencies. Newry City proper is entirely in Newry and Armagh Constituency and Daisy Hill Hospital is in Newry City. Actually Daisy Hill is an electoral ward in the Newry & Armagh Constituency. Margaret Ritchie was not campaigning for services in Newry, she was answering a question as to why there were no major international private sector employers in South Down.
And my local representitive is Conor Murphy, the MP for Newry & Armagh, the constituency in which Daisy Hill Hospital, the Hospital in which I was born, is in, so you’ll excuse me Liam if I don’t take geography lessons from you.
Unknownmale, I did not say at any stage that Newry or Daisy Hill Hospital were not in the Newry and Armagh electorial constituency. I am well aware of that and in fact made the point that they weren’t in the South Down electoral constituency.
“Although the hospital and indeed Newry aren’t in the South Down electoral constituency, a lot of people from the South Down constituency depend on it”.
The point that I did make however is that people from the South Down constituency depend on Newry and the hospital. As such they would expect their representative to for example try and ensure investment for this area due its importance for those constituents.
As I said, “Artificial electoral boundaries don’t really come in to play when you’re talking about jobs or health”.