Metropol

Ex-TUV candidate Ann Cooper endorses racial discrimination.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-11024077


EDIT: The odious tweets: http://twitter.com/MSANNCOOPER

and so to update the Robinson Saga ....

Public Prosecution Service says no charges for Iris Robinson

The Public Prosecution Service (PPS) has announced that former DUP MP Iris Robinson will not face charges over her role in helping her ex-lover, Kirk McCambley, set up a business.

The DPP said it would not be bringing a case against the wife of First Minister Peter Robinson.

more….

WWW.BBC.CO.UK/NEWS
12-Mar-2011 @ 22:30

so that's that then

Shame.

Needless to say, today's story from Killyclougher is just... (sigh).

Condemnation from politicians and the public currently emerging is understandably strong.

As an aside, the First Minister's official Twitter feed, which was due to commence on Monday, is now operational to reflect on today's fatal booby trap bomb blast in Omagh.

http://twitter.com/DUPleader

This helps matters immensely.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-13323749

Alexia wrote:This helps matters immensely.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-13323749

Complete wanker. I still find it unbelievable that the "party" elected him rather than Basil McCrea as leader. Still, the hammering they've had as a result will certainly see either the end of him, or the end of the party.

(He would apparently have had a greater majority in the leadership election had they not run out of low-floor buses in Fermanagh.)

I know lifelong UUP voters in their 60s who have this time voted for the Alliance party. The UUP deserved a kicking and they've got one.

36 hours after starting, the counting has finally finished in the past few minutes.

I predict massive fallout in the UUP next week. Although for me, the other stories of the election were:

The increase in the Alliance vote - consolidating on their East Belfast gain at Westminster last year and the hard work on the ground they are reported to do. Genuinely delighted Anna Lo topped the poll in South Belfast, and I believe they have missed out on taking a second Executive role by one seat.

Peter Robinson topping the poll strongly in East Belfast, evidence his reputation as a strong politician in his own right has been redeemed. No sign of the wife at all either during the election campaign and count coverage.

The shambles of the whole count yesterday due to ridiculous errors, especially the mishaps the count in Omagh Leisure Centre - I await the Electoral Commission's evaluation of the whole counting process and I hope it leads to a review on how future electoral counts are conducted in NI

Why are NI counts so shambolic compared to others? Is there a different procedure?

Pete wrote:Why are NI counts so shambolic compared to others? Is there a different procedure?

I don't think they use first past the post! <wink>

Nick Harvey wrote:

Pete wrote:Why are NI counts so shambolic compared to others? Is there a different procedure?

I don't think they use first past the post! <wink>

Nothing whatsoever to do with it.

Yes, counts do take a bit longer to conclude under PR, but the first count winners should take no longer than FPTP. It took a minimum of 11 hours in this case, and that's down to incompetence by the electoral office.

The Stormont count didn't conclude until 2200 last night.

The AV result was declared on Saturday at 0200.

The council boxes haven't been opened yet.