The Results Thread

[minionofmidas]

UUP-to-DUP swing in Strangford rather stronger than that. UUP clings on to second spot, though.

[minionofmidas]

Holy ing sh**t.
last Unionist seat, Lagan Valley is in.
Jeffrey Donaldson, DUP, 54.7%. Up 41.3 points
Basil McCrea, UUP, 21.5%. Down 35.0 points

Down North continues its independent tradition...only Unionist seat that's not gone Paisleyite.
Only the three SDLP seats and Martin McGuinness out. And Harlow o/c.

[minionofmidas]

You're right. I remember the name Donaldson. Still, will you just look at that swing.

[minionofmidas]

Smart money in Foyle is on SF. Incumbent is retiring.
Harlow apparently won't be called today, and is very very close but it's undisclosed how close.

[minionofmidas]

Provisional results? Where you got that from?

[minionofmidas]

Well wherever they came from (not the provisional wing, I suppose) they're correct.
SDLP hold Free Derry with ease, despite a minor-ish swing against them.
Meanwhile, Newry & Armagh goes to SF in a handbasket.

[minionofmidas]

I've just found out that the Harlow count has been suspended until tomorrow - apparently it is really that close; Lead is presently with Labour but it may be no more than a few dozen.

More likely Torbay/Winchester-sized. A few dozen isn't that close.

From what I understand, there are ballot irregularities in play here also: I feel a Court challenge coming on.

Ah yes...as I said. Winchester.

[minionofmidas]

Lewis,

I had heard about provisional results from the Irish political weblog Slugger O'Toole ( http://www.sluggerotoole.com/archives/2005/05/provisional_der.php ).  There had been accounts of the SDLP winning that seat on that site before the thread I referenced began.  It seems like it was the norm for people to know something about the results before they are officially announced.  Probably people who observe the count are allowed (or at least not effectively prohibited) from telling the press (directly or through others) what they have seen.  So by provisional results, the person making that post probably meant results that were not official, but which reflected the entire count rather than just a portion of it, like the previous reports of partial unofficial results from that constituency.

Well you posted that pretty much while the results were being announced. They were up at the BBC about two minutes later.