Tutankhamen Posted November 4, 2019 Share Posted November 4, 2019 4 minutes ago, Kejan said: I know a couple of Northern Irish people from outside Derry and have said that even Alliance are chipping away at both 'sides' younger support and elected a Councillor on the Derry Council a while back. My pal (yes, I know, it comes with outliers, but him - from an RC/GAA/nationalist background) says more and more can identity as Irish thanks to such as the GFA and able to have to a certain extent a small northern Irish identity too. Again, hardly scientific but my pal did vote SF twice in 15/17 for Foyle but is switching back to the SDLP thanks to the Brexit mostly and the SDLP will turn up. He's a soft nationalist though, and even describes himself as Northern Irish at times ; so I'm not sure if there's a bit of a swing in general, or its just folk like him. We'll soon find out ; but the sitting out of seats by all the main parties may well cost the DUP the most. The problem is that N.Ireland style unionism is pretty much in you're face type of politics as seen in the DUP with 10 MPs. Although at least 2 of the DUP MPs are elected on a minority vote meaning most voters would prefer something less hostile. The days when the old Unionist Party would get 70% of the vote are long gone. I'd expect it over the next generation to pan out in NI as a more inclusive place with unionist parties being very much on the back foot. Doesn't mean a Connollyite Republic is around the corner but the Peep o Day boys tribute act will be a memory. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doulikefish Posted November 6, 2019 Share Posted November 6, 2019 Sadly Sylvia Hermon is standing down and wont seek re-election.She was the only independent mp in the last parliament.Every time i heard her speak she seemed pretty decent 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tutankhamen Posted November 8, 2019 Share Posted November 8, 2019 On 6 November 2019 at 18:15, doulikefish said: Sadly Sylvia Hermon is standing down and wont seek re-election.She was the only independent mp in the last parliament.Every time i heard her speak she seemed pretty decent Probably doesn't need the DUP ultras and assorted hangers on giving her grief for pointing out Brexit will turn NI into a wasteland without the EU. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacksgranda Posted November 9, 2019 Share Posted November 9, 2019 McGuinness' friend retires. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-foyle-west-50344094 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacksgranda Posted November 9, 2019 Share Posted November 9, 2019 Sam McBride on Sinn Feins (non) election contest https://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/politics/sam-mcbride-sinn-fein-leadership-contest-is-deeply-unorthodox-1-9135678 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tutankhamen Posted November 9, 2019 Share Posted November 9, 2019 22 minutes ago, Jacksgranda said: Sam McBride on Sinn Feins (non) election contest https://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/politics/sam-mcbride-sinn-fein-leadership-contest-is-deeply-unorthodox-1-9135678 Newsletter? Sellick fan attracts family dog. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacksgranda Posted November 9, 2019 Share Posted November 9, 2019 Just now, Tutankhamen said: Sellick fan attracts family dog. Probably the smell. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacksgranda Posted November 9, 2019 Share Posted November 9, 2019 (edited) 3 hours ago, Jacksgranda said: Sam McBride on Sinn Feins (non) election contest https://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/politics/sam-mcbride-sinn-fein-leadership-contest-is-deeply-unorthodox-1-9135678 And Ben Lowry does a not so subtle hatchet job on the NI Green's leader. https://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/opinion/ben-lowry-this-is-a-vital-time-for-environment-yet-at-times-it-can-seem-that-the-green-party-ni-focus-is-elsewhere-1-9135837 I don't know why he's getting his knickers in a twist, they're not going to do the UUP out of a seat. Edited November 9, 2019 by Jacksgranda 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacksgranda Posted November 17, 2019 Share Posted November 17, 2019 On 09/11/2019 at 12:49, Jacksgranda said: Sam McBride on Sinn Feins (non) election contest https://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/politics/sam-mcbride-sinn-fein-leadership-contest-is-deeply-unorthodox-1-9135678 O'Neill wins https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-50436711 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacksgranda Posted November 22, 2019 Share Posted November 22, 2019 On 17/11/2019 at 09:52, Jacksgranda said: O'Neill wins https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-50436711 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-50515302 67% to 33% 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welshbairn Posted November 22, 2019 Share Posted November 22, 2019 5 minutes ago, Jacksgranda said: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-50515302 67% to 33% The poll question was wid, widnae. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacksgranda Posted November 22, 2019 Share Posted November 22, 2019 13 minutes ago, welshbairn said: The poll question was wid, widnae. O'Dowd did wonderfully well if that was the case. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Detournement Posted November 22, 2019 Share Posted November 22, 2019 I've just watched a BBC News report about waiting times in NI. People are waiting 4 YEARS to see specialists for things like gastro conditions or neurology. That's disgusting. Obviously the fault lies with the politicians but it's also a warning about what can happen when constitutional issues become far more important than day to day political issues. The parties to blame for this state of affairs are still the parties backed by most voters. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Detournement Posted November 22, 2019 Share Posted November 22, 2019 Quote Northern Ireland’s healthcare system is broken Peter Donaghy (Salmon of Data) on November 20, 2019, 12:27 am Northern Ireland’s hospital inpatient waiting times are atrocious. According to the latest data released by the Department of Health, 41.3% of inpatient waiting times exceeded 52 weeks in the second quarter of 2019. There are no regions in England or Wales where the equivalent figure even exceeded 1% (I could not locate equivalent data for Scotland). By comparison, only 0.06% of inpatients in the Midlands of England waited over 52 weeks for admission to hospital; the probability of waiting over a year for hospital admission in Northern Ireland is 650 times higher. The chart below shows the percentage of patients that experienced waiting times of less than six weeks by UK region since 2011. Ten years’ ago 55% of hospital inpatients experienced waiting times of less than six weeks; this year this figure had dropped to less than 10%. A clear majority (64%) of patients in Northern Ireland experience waiting times in excess of six months. There are significant regional differences amongst the various HSC trusts in Northern Ireland. The Western trust was the worst performer; 54% of waiting times for admitted inpatients exceeded one year. Of the 3,108 patients admitted for ENT surgery in the Western trust in Q2 2019, 59% had been waiting for over a year. By comparison, 41% of patients in West Lancashire in England waited less than six weeks. There were significant numbers of patients waiting over a year for treatment in other areas, depending on the type of surgery. For example, 66% of ENT patients in Belfast had been waiting for over a year; in most areas on England there were zero patients who had to wait over 52 weeks for equivalent surgery. The differences between waiting times in Northern Ireland compared with Great Britain are staggering. However, in terms of spending, spending on Northern Ireland is higher than the UK average. The chart below shows (inflation adjusted) per capita health spending in different regions in the UK. Real-terms health spending has stagnated since 2010 as it has stagnated everywhere else in the UK. However, other UK regions have undergone equivalent conditions and have not undergone anything even remotely equivalent to the functional collapse of the healthcare system in Northern Ireland. Whilst the continuing lack of a functioning executive means there is an accountability vacuum over the state of Northern Ireland’s health crisis, it is worth noting that the worst of the damage happened during the “jot and tittle” assembly between 2011 and 2016. Prior to 2011 inpatient and A&E waiting times were broadly the same as they were in Great Britain. Given that Northern Ireland’s healthcare system receives the equivalent funding as the system in Great Britain, its present condition is, simply put, an absolute disgrace. The system is in dire need of urgent and drastic reform. Again you see the same thing happen in America where people vote on things like guns and abortion and get fucked over on everything that is actually important. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacksgranda Posted November 26, 2019 Share Posted November 26, 2019 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-50557296 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kejan Posted November 26, 2019 Share Posted November 26, 2019 What the latest, Grampa, on North Belfast - Dodds or SF? Foyle - back to SDLP? Alliance making in roads in East Belfast? SDLP in south Belfast and UUP in Fermanagh? Could well be 5 parties from NI in Westminister come Xmas. It's an interesting election in NI with all the pacts. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LongTimeLurker Posted November 26, 2019 Share Posted November 26, 2019 (edited) Too bad Andrew Neil won't be doing any interviews. That would have been good for a laugh where cash for ash or gay marriage is concerned with Arlene or something like "Have you ever worn a balaclava?" with the SFer. Edited November 26, 2019 by LongTimeLurker 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sureiknow Posted November 26, 2019 Share Posted November 26, 2019 (edited) 2 hours ago, Jacksgranda said: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-50557296 Edited November 26, 2019 by sureiknow 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacksgranda Posted November 27, 2019 Share Posted November 27, 2019 10 hours ago, Kejan said: What the latest, Grampa, on North Belfast - Dodds or SF? Foyle - back to SDLP? Alliance making in roads in East Belfast? SDLP in south Belfast and UUP in Fermanagh? Could well be 5 parties from NI in Westminister come Xmas. It's an interesting election in NI with all the pacts. I don't know but here's what I think - 1/ North Belfast: I think Dodds will hang on 2/ Foyle: SF hold 3/ East Belfast: Naomi Long's in with a shout, but I think Robimson might just edge it. 4/ South Belfast' The remainers will maybe split their vote and Emma Little-Pengelly will keep her seat, otherwise an SDLP gain 5/Fermanagh and South TYrone: I think the Sinn Fein machine will get their vote out and hold on and 6/ North Down: DUP gain We'll see how Mystic Granda fares out in a fortnight or so! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacksgranda Posted November 28, 2019 Share Posted November 28, 2019 On 26/11/2019 at 21:22, Kejan said: What the latest, Grampa, on North Belfast - Dodds or SF? Foyle - back to SDLP? Alliance making in roads in East Belfast? SDLP in south Belfast and UUP in Fermanagh? https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election-2019-50579757 Analysis of the Foyle contest. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.