Foyle

[stb12]

Foyle

[East Anglian Lefty]

Unconfirmed as yet, but it's believed local councillor Sandra Duffy will be the Sinn Fein candidate.

www.irishnews.com/news/northernirelandnews/2021/09/09/news/sinn-fe-in-select-new-comers-to-replace-anderson-and-mullan-2441986/

[markgoodair]

Janice Montgomery will be the Ulster Unionist Party candidate.

[East Anglian Lefty]

Unsuccessful candidate for Waterside DEA in last year's local, subsequently co-opted to replaced Ryan McCready on Faughan DEA.

[markgoodair]

Rachel Ferguson is the Alliance Party candidate.

[East Anglian Lefty]

Former councillor for Faughan DEA, defeated for re-election in 2023.

[YL]

John Boyle (Aontú)
Sandra Duffy (SF)
Colum Eastwood (SDLP)
Rachael Ferguson (Alliance)
Shaun Harkin (People Before Profit)
Anne McCloskey (Ind)
Gary Middleton (DUP)
Janice Montgomery (UUP)

[stb12]

Colum Eastwood ruling out going back into the Assembly by co-option if he loses his seat

www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c0ddyxenwzgo

[greenhert]

Jun 17, 2024 18:37:22 GMT stb12 said:

Colum Eastwood ruling out going back into the Assembly by co-option if he loses his seat

www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c0ddyxenwzgo

But there is little chance of him losing this seat anyway despite the SDLP's long-term decline.

[stb12]

Jun 17, 2024 20:54:45 GMT greenhert said:

Jun 17, 2024 18:37:22 GMT stb12 said:

Colum Eastwood ruling out going back into the Assembly by co-option if he loses his seat

www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c0ddyxenwzgo

But there is little chance of him losing this seat anyway despite the SDLP's long-term decline.

You’d think not, Sinn Fein do seem to have got their act together in the area when you look at the recent Assembly and council results so the defeat likely won’t be as heavy as last time

But it does appear to be a nationalist area in Northern Ireland that still has an appetite to be represented at Westminster

[batman]

I may be wrong about this, but my impression is that some important SDLP figures played a major role in the civil rights movement in Derry and that it has helped the SDLP retain a strong position in the Foyle constituency, amongst other factors.

[stb12]

Jun 18, 2024 9:50:05 GMT batman said:

I may be wrong about this, but my impression is that some important SDLP figures played a major role in the civil rights movement in Derry and that it has helped the SDLP retain a strong position in the Foyle constituency, amongst other factors.

It’s certainly seems to be the last place standing as far as a nationalist SDLP stronghold is concerned. Obviously there’s the South Belfast Westminster seat as well but there’s a lot of crossover and tactical voting involved in that

[Chris from Brum]

Jun 18, 2024 16:57:13 GMT stb12 said:

Jun 18, 2024 9:50:05 GMT batman said:

I may be wrong about this, but my impression is that some important SDLP figures played a major role in the civil rights movement in Derry and that it has helped the SDLP retain a strong position in the Foyle constituency, amongst other factors.

It’s certainly seems to be the last place standing as far as a nationalist SDLP stronghold is concerned. Obviously there’s the South Belfast Westminster seat as well but there’s a lot of crossover and tactical voting involved in that

Even so, it was lost between 2017-19 when SF had it and during that period SDLP had no Westminster MPs, which probably suited Jeremy Corbyn just fine as he'd always favoured the Shinners over Labour's official partners in Socialist International, a party that had traditionally taken the Labour whip in Parliament. But who cares about international brotherhood these days eh?

[irish observer]

It is a fact that Derry city is has a major historical significance to the SDLP. Ivan Cooper a MP led the Bloody Sunday march through the City. John Hume was a Director of Derry City FC, one of the party's original founders in Stormont and for many years the sole SDLP MP in Westminster as well as a MEP. A SDLP majority council renamed the city council from Londonderry to Derry City Council. Now called Derry & Strabane.

SF have always wanted to take this bastion away, the centre of Civil Rights, the reaction of the Paratroopers to which created, together with Internment, the PIRA, yet Derry remained with constitutional politics. It took McCallion to prize it from Durkan who then joined FG. She then lost to Eastwood, became a Senator, and is out of politics. Eastwood is back now. If lost now I think its terminable for SDLP ever to recover here.

Unsure of prediction yet.

[East Anglian Lefty]

Jun 18, 2024 9:50:05 GMT batman said:

I may be wrong about this, but my impression is that some important SDLP figures played a major role in the civil rights movement in Derry and that it has helped the SDLP retain a strong position in the Foyle constituency, amongst other factors.

Essentially the Hume political machine is still functioning in Derry, whereas pretty much everywhere else in Northern Ireland the machine has collapsed, leaving them with just this and South Belfast hipsters.

[greenhert]

Jun 19, 2024 12:04:30 GMT East Anglian Lefty said:

Jun 18, 2024 9:50:05 GMT batman said:

I may be wrong about this, but my impression is that some important SDLP figures played a major role in the civil rights movement in Derry and that it has helped the SDLP retain a strong position in the Foyle constituency, amongst other factors.

Essentially the Hume political machine is still functioning in Derry, whereas pretty much everywhere else in Northern Ireland the machine has collapsed, leaving them with just this and South Belfast hipsters.

They are still somewhat competitive in South Down also. Their main problem is that much of their core voter base (socially conservative/moderate nationalist voters) has disappeared and the Alliance Party has won over a few SDLP voters as well especially in Countries Antrim and Down.

[stb12]

Jun 19, 2024 21:29:20 GMT greenhert said:

Jun 19, 2024 12:04:30 GMT East Anglian Lefty said:

Essentially the Hume political machine is still functioning in Derry, whereas pretty much everywhere else in Northern Ireland the machine has collapsed, leaving them with just this and South Belfast hipsters.

They are still somewhat competitive in South Down also. Their main problem is that much of their core voter base (socially conservative/moderate nationalist voters) has disappeared and the Alliance Party has won over a few SDLP voters as well especially in Countries Antrim and Down.

Alliance taking one of their Assembly seats in South Down was a big blow there

[CatholicLeft]

Dr Anne McCloskey, who previously nearly got elected as an Independent Republican when it was a 6-seater, then was elected as Aontu's only local councillor in the 6 counties, becoming the party's deputy leader, has since, due to Covid, gone completely of the deep end, left Aontu. embraced conspiracy theories, was suspended as a GP, recently had a very short time in the cells and is now campaigning to join the "real opposition" of Independent MPs in the HoC. The latter being baffling, as she has always been an abstentionist. Her Aontu replacement, John Boyle, their local election candidate in Limavady in 2023, has said that, if elected, he will present himself for seating in the Dail.
The ultimately disappointing Colum Eastwood is back here with a reduced majority.
For the UUP, it is disappointing that Ryan McCready, the young defector from the DUP, decided to step down from council, as he was a real hope to build up the vote and grab the Unionist Assembly seat, so they have Janice Montgomery, his council replacement for Faughan DEA (having failed to be elected in Waterside DEA).
SF, who collapsed so disastrously in 2019, have chosen Donegal-born former mayor, Cllr Sandra Duffy of Ballyarnett. Having chosen high-profile SF people in the past, this shows a stepping back here and an expectation of an Eastwood hold.

[irish observer]

Eastwood will hold. Probably by about 5,500 or so. SF target him big next round.

[East Anglian Lefty]

Have got the window open at work and both the SDLP and PBP have had loudspeaker vans go by in the past hour. Didn't realise anybody still used those.