Slugger O'Toole (Free subscription) | 3 hours ago
Clearly Mick is right, and the DUP have been caught on the hop over the Conservative move today. Their statements today smack very much of desperation. Some people have been making good use of their lunch hours today by seeing what I said about Cameron two years ago. And true enough here it is:
Slugger O'Toole (Free subscription) | 4 hours ago
Leader of the SNP at Westminster is on the BBC coverage now playing up how good a night the SNP have had, but how it must be remembered that this is “rock solid Labour territory”, and that we need to keep a “sense of proportion” over the history of the seat. Sounds to me like the SNP think Labour have held on with a much reduced majority.
ElBlogador.co (Free subscription) | 4 hours ago
00:05: SNP describe election as "very good" for them, saying that they have made "great strides." 00:32: BBC saying it looks like SNP candidate John Mason may have won, although remains to be confirmed. 00:45: Nicola Sturgeon, Deputy Leader of the SNP, says it is looking more and more likely that they have scored a victory, but refuses to confirm.
Slugger O'Toole (Free subscription) | 5 hours ago
Being the amateur sophologist/political animal/person worthy of wife’s curious look when explaining why you are staying up/sad sack (*delete as appropriate) that I am I’ll be staying up for the Glasgow East result so will post it here (and maybe some interpretation depending on how tired I am).
The Independent (Free subscription) | 5 hours ago
Gordon Brown suffered a devastating blow early today as Labour crashed to defeat in the Glasgow East by-election.
Slugger O'Toole (Free subscription) | yesterday
Well, if the local parties can’t agree on much else, they’re united against abortion. Leading on this rare story of chiming unity , ( how right you are, my dear friend Gail) the Belfast Telegraph post-Troubles is reverting to a a comfortably conservative (complacent') editorial line, homing in on commercially sensible consensus where it can find it. If I were a GB MP with my background, I would be...
Slugger O'Toole (Free subscription) | yesterday
Interesting analysis from Paul Bew at CommentisFree . He also references Frank Millar’s article in the Irish Times and suggests the Northern Ireland Executive’s current difficulties could be eased by the proposed UUP/Conservative Party link-up. There is more at stake here than simply electoral calculation. One of the reasons why the Stormont assembly has degenerated into a sectarian stand-off in which...
BBC News (Free subscription) | yesterday
The mother of a Londonderry man killed in a plane crash in Thailand says she just wants justice for her son.
BBC News (Free subscription) | yesterday
Six men from County Armagh return to NI after an allegation of assault against a girl on the island of Corfu.
BBC News (Free subscription) | yesterday
A transsexual prostitute was stopped at a Belfast airport with earnings of £14,000 hidden around his body, a court hears.
Slugger O'Toole (Free subscription) | yesterday
An interesting convergence of stories in west Belfast where we had been told previously that “volunteers” had been “working in their communities on the streets” and “patrolling” Belfast neighbourhoods. A matter of days after Fr Aidan Troy highlighted a “suspected INLA extortion campaign” three men were reported to have been arrested in Poleglass and UTV noted that “Police say community representatives...
BBC News (Free subscription) | yesterday
A Chemistry student has appeared before Londonderry Magistrate's Court on Thursday, charged with possessing an AK 47 rifle, and rounds of ammunition.
Slugger O'Toole (Free subscription) | yesterday
Belfast Stoops says, good move for Dave, bad for Reg ; Conall crys wolf in sheep’s clothing . Iain Dale reckons Trimble in the new Tory cabinet is almost inevitable . Chekov reckons the news is both exciting and problematic . El Blogador reckons it has implications for Nationalism/Republicanism and the Assembly too . Ulster’s Doomed believe the UUP is suffering from “an irrational belief in the cathartic...
Slugger O'Toole (Free subscription) | yesterday
Just the thing to distract me from packing for the holidays I've decided to pull this up from a comment to a blog. After the first flush of excitement the next questions are: What impact would a Conservative/ Ulster Unionist alliance have on the politics of power sharing? The move seems likely to provoke a quickening response on the nationalist side. Will the SDLP and Fianna Fail go tit-for tat? Might...
Slugger O'Toole (Free subscription) | yesterday
Who was the last Ulster Unionist MP to serve as a minister in UK adminstration? [Answer below the fold]
