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 think people under estimated how much people dislike Corbyn.

I know myself if I was in England, I’d have struggled to give labour my vote. I would have done, but only because Tory is the alternative. But I’d really have struggled with that choice.

I would love to vote Alliance, but voted PBP even though they're pro-Brexit.

DH went to vote at about 7.30 and said it was really busy. I was there at about 10 this morning and it was just me!

They are saying turnout is definitely up a bit, though I haven't seen figures yet. I'd really love to see SF/DUP kicked into touch, and Alliance to do well.

I’m English but I’ve never voted labour, John Smith, whose Labour Party I probably would have voted for, died when I was 17 and I always got creepy vibes from Tony Blair so I voted Lib Dem or Green.

I would also struggled to have voted for Labour under Corbyn, but would have done so for the promise of a 2nd brexit referendum, so I understand how it was a rock and a hard place for vote for many people.

dramalamma, on the exit poll thread somebody said that MN is an echo chamber, which is true to an extent. I would expect the average mumsnetter to be, well not "The Aldernices of Cultraaaaa" exactly (though it would be nice to be as moneyed up as them)...but a bit more Alliancey than average.
One of the baby groups I go to (attached to a church) has a lot of DUP voters. The DUP took a leaf out of the Shinners' PR playbook; whilst most of the Westminster MPs are the old guard, there are quite a lot of freshly scrubbed young 'uns amongst the MLAs and councillors. It slots in well with religion: go to church, go to band practice, go leafleting for the DUP. I grew up in a majority Catholic area but with a sizeable Protestant minority who probably voted UUP (back in more moderate David Trimble era) and chatted away to their Catholic neighbours at the cattle mart and the Spar shop and the pharmacist and anywhere that wasn't church or school basically (and even there too- our area had one of the first integrated schools and all the others did the PRISM stuff).
Growing up I still thought my town was a bit sort of apartheid-y in some ways; there were some pupils at my school who would never have done PRISM in a million years and used to go and fight the CBS boys at lunchtime; two local newspapers, one for each side, etc.
But where I am now is a monoculture. I have no idea where the nearest Catholic church is. You could probably go from one month, or even one year, to the next without seeing a tricolour on a pole or even hearing an Irish sounding name.

Well one thing we can be certain of now, we are absolutely fucked during Brexit now BJ has his majority and has no use for DUP.

The Shinner who came to my door told me he wanted Boris to get his majority so he wouldn't need the DUP to Get Brexit Done.

Cunt.

Alliance have won North Down.

Breaking News: Nigel Dodds, the political wing of Homer Simpson has lost his seat.

Is that Sylvia's seat @isabellerossignol?

Yes it is Dione

Absolutely delighted!!! Alliance surge - we’ve done it!

I’m no Shinner, but also absolutely delighted to see Nigel Dodds lose his seat to John Finucane

Yes, Sylvia's seat.

Great news on Sylvia's seat. Although sorry to see her go. She always seemed a good sort. Delighted Nigel is gone, not so much that SF won it.🙄

Does anyone know how many seats SF need to take from the DUP to become the majority party?

They dont take Westminster seats so no majority. I would love for them to get a kicking in my constituency, but I dont think they'll lose the seat. That they dont fucking take.

I was just thinking in terms of them being able to publicly say 'we're the largest party now', as I know they won't take their seats. I think psychologically it would be a huge blow to the DUP to no longer be able to say in Westminster 'we represent N Ireland' if you know what I mean

Arlene has just used the phrase 'pan-nationalist front'. It's a long time since I heard that one!

She must be desperate.

Any mention of crocodiles?

Little-Pengelly has gone.

Shot!

Clare Hanna has beaten Little-Pengelly

Goodnight NI folk. I'm DUPped fucked and off to bed.
Mañana amigas.💗

I know isabelle - it didn't take her long did it - straight out of Ian Paisley's playbook. I'm not a fan of Arlene in any shape or form but that was a disgrace and a comment that I think will come back to bite her in the arse.

IPJ is back, but with his votes almost halved from 20,000 to 12,000.

Seems he's made of Teflon.

This was the best chance to get rid of IPJ. The Wrightbus fiasco damaged him and those people and their families were his core voters. It might partly explain the huge drop in his votes.

I hope so @isabelle

What also worried me was the independent whose manifesto was crackpot also got over 200 votes....meaning there are more people in my constituency that thinks like him!!!