N Ireland mumsnetters. How on earth do we change the situation?

[isabellerossignol]

With the election coming up, this has been really playing on my mind. We need a functioning health service. How do we get one? I don't vote DUP or Sinn Fein, but nearly everyone else in my constituency seems to and I feel so powerless.

I feel pretty horrified by the education situation too, but the health service is on a whole other level, it is properly scary.

I don't want to be in politics myself, I am not robust enough for that, but I want someone to step up and say 'enough is enough' and yet I don't even seem to have anyone to vote for who is willing to do that. I have been reading all the election literature through my door and there is very little mention of the health service by any of the parties, how can they be ignoring such a huge issue?

My thoughts are the exact same OP.
And unfortunately until people stop voting DUP/Sinn Fein I don't see anything changing and that won't happen because everyone is voting 'to keep the other lot out'
However what do we do ? Just abstain from voting entirely ? But until everyone in the country does that then nothing happens and there just doesn't seem to be any other viable parties to vote for that have any chance !

Too many gobshites sitting in power and none of them have interest in what everyday folk of northern ireland want! I am totally politics ignorant but i can spot a pack of dickheads everytime i watch the news or glance at leaflet

I feel very much the same @isabellerossignol. I don’t know the answer. It’s quite terrifying. It feels like everyone knows DUP/SF need to die a death and leave the scene clear for new blood but they’re all still voting for them. Like they’re just shrugging their shoulders and saying “what ya gonna do” while voting them in again. It’s so frustrating.

Don't abstain from voting. Just vote for any party that is not DUP or Sinn Fein.

I'm in a Sinn Fein safe seat, but I think that if enough people vote tactically we may return a PBP candidate this time.

I'm voting Alliance. My constituency has a DUP MP, I'm hoping the Alliance surge at the council elections will encourage more people to vote for them this time round. I'm a republican by the way, but I want peace & respect for both our communities more than anything else and Alliance gives me hope. Sinn Fein and the DUP peddle fear and I think as a society we deserve so much better than that.

I can't fathom how people are willing to accept a health service almost collapsing with barely a whimper yet we have such a history of civil unrest about other things!

I'll be voting Alliance too but I was really disappointed with their candidate's election literature. All waffle and nothing practical...

Bastards all of them. DUP are without doubt the worst. Their hate filled, nasty, bigoted attitudes. Disgusting and it is beyond me how anyone can support that. I've now decided to distance myself from certain people that I know support them as in my mind if u do vote for them, you are obviously nasty and bigoted too. And SF are a bunch of bloody children. Who gives a shit about the Irish language when I'm a nurse, and I and all my colleagues are literally beyond broken. But no one cares. Not one of them. Too busy blaming everything on each other. And. I don't think anything will every change. DUP will always get the votes as alot of their voters are terrified at the thoughts of Catholics in power and picturing everyone speaking Irish and having a United Ireland (like the South would even want us!) We are like the embarrassing relatives that no one wants to associate with. Wankers, the whole bloody lot of them.

I have found my people. It's a sad situation but until the two extremists die a death we're stuck in the past. I wish I new the answer.

It’s really depressing isn’t it.
Weren’t there something crazy like almost 1/4 million new voters registered since the beginning of the year? Wonder how that will affect the election.
I will vote Alliance too, although am also in a DUP stronghold. My MP is absolutely fecking useless as a constituency MP but that doesn’t seem to matter to the party faithful. I haven’t even seen an election leaflet from them, probably don’t need to bother. To be fair the UUP leaflet did mention the dire state of the health service but their party leader is an absolute tool, so won’t vote for them.
It’s the young people/first time voters I really feel sorry for.

Taking a seat from Sinn Fein-DUP is practical enough OP.

Perhaps if the RHI inquiry is finally published and the truth comes out then people may start to question the DUP/SF ineptitude. The mere fact that the DUP are having to stir up the loyalists over BJs Brexit deal shows they are panicking. Maybe some more moderate unionists will stop voting for them and split their vote. Fingers crossed that the remain parties take some seats

I've lived in Belfast all my life. Was rewatching game of thrones the other night, and this stood out at me “I’m not asking you to forget your dead. I’ll never forget mine" ... "But I’m asking you to think about your children now." We need to move on, hard as it is for everyone. Stormont has been empty too long.

I was raised as a protestant unionist, but am more of a socialist now, so would consider voting Sinn Fein, if they took their seats in Westminster, (but they don't, so what's the point). If I had to pick a unionist party, (as a United Ireland sounds lovely on paper, but would be a nightmare in reality), it would be the PUP, (not the same since David Ervine died though), he was such a voice of reason in the community. And not they aren't running any candidates anyway? The green party seem too focused on enviromental issue, and not enough on things like healthcare.

I'll be voting for Naomi Long. The Alliance party are the best of a bad bunch, the only party running a canditate in all eighteen constituencies, and I like her track record for voting. I came very close to telling a DUP canvasser to stick his leaflet up his hole the other day. They're the ones holding us back imo.

not

It's really terrifying. Unless something dramatically changes it will be the same SF/DUP nightmare. People feel trapped into voting for them as there is no viable, credible middle ground option. SDLP have some good policies but are unlikely to get enough support to win seats.

In my constituency lots would love to vote for a remain nationalist party that would actually show up to Westminster and represent our views. Unfortunately they are scared of splitting the vote and the DUP getting in. Although they don't want SF they want the DUP much less.

I had a "discussion" with a Sinn Fein canvasser. I found it very therapeutic.

But then he said that he would like BoJo to get a majority so he doesnt need the DUP to get Brexit done. And I wanted to punch him in the face. He read my look correctly and backed down the drive making stupid words with his stupid mouth.

Another alliance voter here but in a SF stronghold it won't help but i've recruited 2 more never voted folk so hope we send a message. as a protestant im ashamed of what the dup do/say.

Another one not voting for SF or DUP, I cannot believe what the ‘politicians’ have got away with here. I cannot believe how so many people are suffering and they don’t give a shit. Bigotry rules the day.
I found these on Christmas FB marketplace...’no time wasters’ apparently - It scares me but doesn’t surprise me. Happy bloody Christmas 😲

During the night I couldn't sleep and I wandered onto Facebook and saw that the Bel Tel had posted a comment article about this on their Facebook page. Thereafter followed about 150 comments, most of them blaming 'the other side' for the state of the health service and lack of assembly. It made for depressing reading. To think that people are more concerned about pointing the finger than about actually fixing things. Although I'm obviously very naive to have been shocked by it. I really thought that we had now hit rock bottom in public services and people were ready for change but it seems not.

I still am shocked, and I shouldn’t be either. I think bigotry supersedes logic here. There is a culture of entitlement and an ‘I’m alright jack’ mentality. None seems to give a damn about the NHS, the schools or any services, it’s all to do with what foot you kick with.

It’s beyond depressing and I would love to move - not that everywhere else is perfect but being met with the brick wall of bigotry on a daily basis is mind numbingly dull and I am worried about the youngsters who have such bad resources and will pay the price of the voting generations idiocy.
In brief - It’s shite.

I honestly think it wouldn’t matter if the DUP were photographed eating babies, people would still vote for them rather than let a Catholic in.
I shall retire as I’m getting pissed off and someone has just put a publicity poster up far too close to my house (in the middle of the night) of a smug looking DUP candidate and my fingers are itching for the black sharpie.
I’m in a predominantly prod area but It’s not really - it’s just ‘the boys’ rule the place 😬

I honestly think it wouldn’t matter if the DUP were photographed eating babies, people would still vote for them rather than let a Catholic in.

I agree.

Alliance vote from me.

I would love to move away too but I am a carer for my elderly mother and I couldn't move and leave her. And my husband has a very frail parent too and he wouldn't feel able to move away and leave them either. We're trapped by circumstances.

I am so sick of the unionist v nationalist narrative here. It suits the DUP/SF to stoke the flames of sectarianism because without the fear, they would cease to exist.
It makes me very, very sad that voters continue to fall for it.

A new socially liberal party based on actual real policies Instead of hatred of the “other side” would be just wonderful. (Dreams)