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?

I'm Belfast through and through but moved away years ago.

Always keep an eye on the news and one of my Dad's best friends is an Alliance guy. i miss my Dad every minute of every day and I believe he was right in his support for Alliance.

IMO DUP are racist, sectarian, money grabbing. Sinn Fein are pure lazy - though their PR is exceptional (my line of work - not that I am happy with them.. They're just cleverer).

They're all getting paid £70k and sitting on their arses. Unbelievable cheek, and over what?

Who's sorting the NHS? Show me who is doing any bloody work? What about the rise in pipe bombing etc?

Another Naomi voter here 👋

Hoping the DUP will have pissed off enough people that she gets in.It was pretty close last time I think and Gavin Robinson hasn't been seen much since he got in last time.

*these

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

Well the Alliance party isn't that new! I have protest- voted for them since I was old enough to vote (have never lived anywhere they could actually get in).
"Keeping the other lot out" is sometimes all you can do but it's such a crappy stagnant way to do politics. Mainland UK politics is infested with it as well. Don't bother having any original thought or- heaven fobid- work together for the good of the country. Just sit on your arse throwing mud at the other side and collecting money for doing fuck all.

Keep voting Alliance/Green/anything but DUP/SF. "Safe seats" don't have to be - look at East Belfast. One of the safest Unionist constituencies 20 years ago, and now it could well go to Alliance again (and I hope it does).

But it takes people to get out and vote for other parties, and then others go "Oh, I wouldn't have thought of voting for them, but they got 10% of the vote last time, maybe it's worth it", and then it's up to 15% of the vote and others start to see it and so on.

I don't think it's right to say "all the parties are rubbish, they're all the same". They're really not. It may be that none of them is your cup of tea, but if the DUP/SF stranglehold is broken we can start to see more positive movements emerge.

I think part of the problem is also that there is a split whereby unionist = conservative and nationalist = socialist (broadly speaking of course). If you happen to want to be a part of the UK but you also believe in policies that would be more like the Labour Party, for example, you'd have to choose between unionism and socialism. The working class DUP voters are ironically propping up a party who despises them on many levels.

I’ll also be voting for Naomi Long, haven’t heard a peep out of Gavin Robinson in the campaign so maybe her high profile and the DUP’s ineptitude will work in her favour.

I’m not from here and the politics of the Northern Ireland really ruins what could be a lovely place to live.

I think that moving to PR is the way things will really change in NI as well as the rest of the UK.

NI has long suffered because of single issue voting and with Brexit we are seeing the same across the UK. People voting for a party who doesn't represent them and won't make their lot any better purely because of their stance on Brexit.

It will allow some of the fringe parties in (and I accept that may mean some more extreme parties in the short term) but in the longer term it would mean it was worth creating new parties and people can vote for parties who genuinely represent them.

It is shameful that the DUP and Sinn Fein can get away with serving their constituents so poorly because they are more or less guaranteed their share of the vote.

PR unfortunately didn't stop the DUP and SF having a near strangle hold on the assembly. But then, last time we had an assembly election people weren't nearly as pissed off as they are now, so maybe it would be better next time...

I'm in a DUP safe seat. I'll be voting Alliance.

Event the most ardent unionist must realise the DUP's Brexit stance fucking bonkers in securing a stable future for our country. And Sinn Fein are fuck all use when they don't sit at Westminster, no matter how socialist their agenda.

My parents are retirement age, will vote Alliance. My ILs wouldn't dream of voting for anyone other than the DUP. They know nothing about politics, they couldn't defend why they vote DUP. They just do it.

Unfortunately I know a few people who've fallen for the "Alliance are the IRA" nonsense. And a few others who refuse to vote Alliance because "they want to legalise abortion with no limits".

It's like people WANT to vote DUP no matter what. They don't actually care about how crap they are, all they need is anything remotely resembling a reason and they grab it with both hands.

Northern Ireland is so in need of a new party (I would like to say cross community but im not that naive). The old zealots with dodgy pasts on both sides have had their time now

I've heard a lot of friends say Alliance arnt really what they promise to be (a bit like Lib Dems) is that fair?

Patroclus we do have a cross community party, The Alliance Party. I would love to vote for them, but I think my best bet for unseating Sinn Fein (who dont take their seats anyway) will be PBP. I'm hoping Aontú split the shinner vote and enough prods will vote tactically.

Not ideal as PBP are a Brexit party and I am an ardent Remainer.

Personally I will be voting DUP because they are the only pro leave party in Northern Ireland.

I dont think any of the parties are really what they promise to be, but I think some are better than others and all are better than Sinn Fein-DUP, two disgusting sides of the same revolting coin.

I have my own issues with alliance, specifically some of their language regarding women and they seem to be swallowing the TRA agenda but it has been mild enough so far that I can cope with voting for them to provide a non DUP/SF vote. I’m not going near SDLP either. Not in my area. Useless glipes.

TOADfan, good news for you, PBP are also pro leave, so you dont have to vote DUP after all.

Yea maybe I didnt put it so well. With liberal centrist parties you get the impression they could be a weather vane, they would shed their wooly principles in a second for a bit of power. Is there someting akin to a cross community (or soft unionist) labour centre left type party?

There's SDLP and UUP. They were the two largest parties in NI but have hemorrhaged support to SF-DUP since the GFA.🤷‍♀️

@DioneTheDiabolist PBP don't run in East Belfast. We have Naomi Long, Carl MacLean UUP and Gavin Robinson DUP. Not much choice 😂

Plus PBP are too left wing and socialist for me to vote in anyway.

Are UUP not pro Brexit? As part of the Conservative party I must admit I just assumed they were.

TOADfan, the UUP manifesto pledges wrt Brexit are:
Strengthening NI's place in the UK and ensuring the best Brexit deal possible is secured.
Ensure Northern Ireland is not left a place apart in any final Brexit deal and oppose trade barriers East-West or North-South.
Offer financial guarantees to those losing EU funding

So again, a pro Leave party. No need to vote DUP.

I think all we can do is vote for the least bad option. Have you seen that quote floating around social media? Not sure where it came from.

Voting isn’t marriage – it’s public transport. You are not waiting for “the one” who is absolutely perfect. You are getting the bus. And if there isn’t one going exactly to your destination, you don’t stay at home and sulk – you take the one going closest to where you want to be.

I think it's appalling to stay at home. At least if more of us vote for moderate parties there might be some progress.

Sylvia Hermon was our MP, we're likely getting the DUP now. Sigh.