Consider that you are voting...

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Oh dear... I'll have to do this seat by seat. Wait a sec...

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PUP would be ideal as they're supposedly the only real leftist Protestant party, but from what I heard they're barely around anymore.

Oh, Ervine is still around, is still an MLA (when Stormont is in session...) and still has about 10% of East Belfast voters in his back pocket. He pulled out of the race in favour of Empey (UUP) and wants his voters to vote against Robinson.

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Here it is:

East Antrim: Neeson (APNI)
East Belfast: Long (APNI) unless it's looking close by polling day... in which case I'd get a nosepeg, put it on vote for *shudders* Empey (UUP), go home and have a shower.
East Londonderry/Derry: Dallat (SDLP)
Fermanagh and South Tyrone: Gallagher (SDLP)
Foyle: Durkan (SDLP). See it more as a tribute vote for Hume than anything else...
Lagan Valley: Close (APNI)
Mid Ulster: McGuiness (SF) who's one of the few Shinners I could vote for... and letting a McCrea in by the back door is not something I'd like to do...
Newry & Armagh: Bradley (SDLP). Not that it'll make any difference.
North Antrim: Farren (SDLP). I might be tempted to vote SF out of spite actually...
North Belfast: Maginness (SDLP)
North Down: Lady Sylvia Hermon (UUP)
South Antrim: Ford (APNI)
South Belfast: ooh... don't know. Either McGimpsey (UUP) or McDonell (SDLP). Basically whichever one looks most likely to beat the DUP on polling day...
South Down: McGrady (SDLP). He beat Enoch Powell. Nuff said.
Strangford: McGimpsey (UUP)
Upper Bann: Castle (APNI). I might vote tactically for Trimble, but it looks too late for that now.
West Belfast: Attwood (SDLP)
West Tyrone: Dr Deeny (Ind)

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Ah... land theft. Don't get me started on that... happend just as bad in England as in Ireland, although in a different way (religion wasn't used as an excuse and there was no colonisation as such) and they used a different euphamism to "plantations"; "enclosures"...

I better stop now or this will turn into an seriously ugly rant...

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The truely shocking thing about the military collusion with the Loyalist paramilitaries is that the soldiers were sent to NI to protect the Catholic minority... Bearing in mind how fast things went downhill during the '70's and '80's it's amazing to think that we can look at the sitution today and say that it's bad.

I can remember when I was a kid that we were all a bit nervous about going into city centres

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a fairly socially progressive country like the UK

Since when? Even during the social liberal peak in the '60's, 20 million people watched the blatently racist "Black and White Minstrel Show" every bloody week.

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How can they tell if you're Catholic or Protestant and thus in the "wrong" group when you're in an area?

Northern Ireland is a pretty small place and neighborhoods are very tightly knit (unlike the U.S.)  People know when you are not one of "them".  Also don't be stupid enough to wear the wrong soccer jersey in the wrong neighborhood- that can get ugly.

Over 90% of inner city Belfast is segregated IIRC

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The great thing is that the shooting has stopped and from talking to people it will stay that way.  People just can't stomach going back to the bad ole days.  Most of the stumbling blocks are procedural in nature.

Exactly. The McCartney killing is a good example: even 10 years ago no one would have cared about it, it wouldn't have been reported much if at all, and the familiy certainly wouldn't have dared to kick up a fuss about it.

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I'd vote for whatever party wants to rid NI of the occupying british invaders.

You want a time machine with that?

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Business vote was abolished by the Attlee government in the '40's.
May have lasted longer in NI.

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Lasted right until the Army moved in in the 70's, yes.

Wasn't there also a requirement to own property to vote in local elections?