Northern Ireland election - your vote

[Maminni]

MP elections in NI. Who’s getting your vote?

I can’t decide, waiting to see some manifestos first.

I don’t know yet! I don’t do orange or green politics so I guess Alliance?

Alliance, as ever. I'm in North Down, so hoping Farry keeps his seat.

Can’t vote Alliance due to their stance on women’s rights (and their elected representatives and canvassers refusal to even discuss the issue - in no small part due to Naomi Long’s stringent leadership not allowing any defectors.)

Am also in North Down and cannot vote for the (most known) independent candidate due to his connections with the DUP, Austen Lennon, Jamie Bryson and the fact that I just don’t think he’s up to standing on a national stage - he may be a good local councillor but there’s a big difference between that and being an MP in Westminster.

I am torn between Deirdre Vaughan (SDLP) and Tim Collins (UUP) - need to find out more about Deirdre’s view on women’s rights and if I can get on board with that then I’ll likely go for her, but may also vote tactically for Tim Collins to keep Alex Easton out.

Thanks @PopcornAndGummyBears I will look up Alliance’s policy on women’s rights.
I haven’t lived in NI for a long time and tbh found the politics so depressing I just wanted to vote for a party who will look forwards not back. Who will look beyond the traditional politics of NI and at the things that matter to me like equality, education, the fact that we are miles behind the rest of the UK when it comes to the health service. Maybe such a party doesn’t exist (yet).

@sunleopard I used to be an Alliance voter and under David Ford’s leadership I had a lot of respect for the party, but things have changed. Their promotion of LGBT+ agenda above all else is losing them voters - they are very much TWAW and no dissenting opinions are allowed. I have tried and tried over the last few election rounds to engage in conversation with elected representatives on the issue - I would dearly love to go back to being an Alliance voter, but they will not engage at all - I was once told they wouldn’t answer questions asked in bad faith, which was utterly insulting - this is an issue I care deeply about and I would love to vote for them if I could be convinced that my views would be accepted. I also disagree with their promotion of integrated education above all else - I have nothing against integrated education - my own DC went to an integrated primary - but I don’t believe the label is everything they make it out to be, and I despise the way they run down other schools - some of which are far more integrated in reality than a lot of “integrated by name” schools. In short - our education system needs proper funding and I think their focus on “integration” is ignoring other more important needs.

SDLP are also pro TWAW, but I know they allow dissenting views - Charlotte Carson was notable in her public statement on women’s spaces and sports - hence why I would like to know what Deirdre Vaughan thinks before I would give her my vote.

NI resident here too, I'm politically homeless at the moment. Don't like Green vs Orange politics and cant vote for Alliance due to their stance on women's rights.

I'm in Strangford and the candidates leave a lot to be desired, though I haven't looked too closely at them yet.

Thanks for the insights, sounds like ‘politically homeless’ is unfortunately where I find myself too.
I’ll need to think about whether there’s a least worst option I can support!

Claire Hanna again I guess. Just to keep the DUP out.

Alliance - Sorcha Eastwood.

I have to decide by Wednesday as I’m going away on Thursday. The postal vote process has been so much of a faff compared to England. What a shocker!

Did anyone watch the debate tonight on UTV? I didn’t because we were out until 8.30pm and then had the football on, flicking between both matches. Wondering if it might be available on catch up. I would really like Alliance to have been asked about their views on safe spaces and fair sports for women and girls, and with the spotlight on them putting them in a position where they have to answer, but I doubt that happened.

Is a DUP stronghold here - Paisley - Im guessing that might just change at last

From asking friends, it seems SDLP are going to be lifting the votes

I havent even seen a leaflet through the door as yet , and no one calls out this far canvassing

So still very much undecided

Alliance usually never unionist parties

Totally agree!! Absolute faff!! It will put lots of people off. I hope Farry and Hanna and Eastwood hold. And Sorcha is a gain.

I'm Strangford and always voted Alliance but won't due to their TWAW stance.
No idea who to vote for.

Going for least worst option here too! Still don’t know what that will mean though.

Politically homeless here.
No clue yet!
We’ve had zero leaflets or canvassers either so I have no clue what’s in any manifesto!

Zero canvassers for us too - 2 leaflets through the door and nothing else - neither have knocked, just posted through the door and walked away. Really disappointing - I know it was a quick election, but it feels like they don’t really care enough. Thoroughly fed up with the backbiting and bitching coming from one particular camp though - they keep complaining that it’s a toxic election cycle but all the negativity and nastiness is coming from them. They’re worse than the worst teenage girls I’ve ever come across their nastiness and bitching.

@PopcornAndGummyBears i think i can guess, but spill!

We had Alliance canvassers, Farry was with them but he didn't come to our door as DH told them we're an Alliance house anyway.

Multiple leaflets from both Farry and Easton.

@Maminni we’re in North Down. A certain Facebook page frequented by 2 ex-councillors is a disgrace. DH isn’t from here and he actually laughed out loud when we drove up the Belfast Road the other day and saw the Easton billboard with the tick against “doesn’t pander to political parties” (or words to that effect). His response was to ask if his advertising had been written by a 15 year old.

@CelesteCunningham that’s so interesting. We have had 1 leaflet weeks ago from Farry, and 1 from Easton last week and other than that absolutely nada. No canvassers knocking on the door with either (we were home both times) Haven’t heard anything from Tim Collins and haven’t seen hide nor hair of Deirdre Vaughan - not even a poster on a lamppost!

I think we maybe had one leaflet from Collins.

Intrigued about the Facebook group!

@CelesteCunningham Bangor past present and future - it is run by people with the maturity and mentality of teenagers - full of toxic posts about the Alliance party and immigrants - specifically those staying at the Marine Court. Austen Lennon and Tom Smith feature regularly. It would be scary if it wasn’t so pathetic.

Ah yes, it's popped up on my feed a few times, I love the old photos. Clicking into the comments is .

I’m Belfast South and will be voting for Claire Hanna (as usual!). Although the SDLP as a party is a shambles at the minute she is an absolutely fantastic, hardworking and responsive MP who I have every faith in.

Amazed (and a bit depressed) by how close the predictions for East Belfast are looking - 1% between Alliance & DUP.. Things are looking good for Sorcha Eastwood in Lagan Valley, fingers crossed for her!

We’ve had both SDLP & Alliance at the door.. and interestingly last night a TUV car driving around our neighbourhood blaring a recording of Jim Allister on his usual Irish Sea Border rant. Thought that the noise was an ice cream van at first - safe to say we were all very disappointed 🤣