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THE LEADERS OF the five largest parties in Northern Ireland took part in a televised debate this evening ahead of Thursday’s election.
The five were Michelle O’Neill (Sinn Féin), Jeffrey Donaldson (DUP), Colum Eastwood (SDLP), Naomi Long (Alliance) and Doug Beattie (UUP).
There are 90 Assembly seats up for grabs across 18 constituencies but whether or not there’ll be a government at the end of it all is far from certain.
So what were the main takeaways from tonight’s hour-long BBC debate?
The question over whether we’ll have a government is somewhat of a sticky wicket for the DUP because it’s them who may prove to be the stumbling block.
On this issue, the other leaders sensed blood and repeatedly asked Donaldson if he’d “respect the result of the election”. They knew full well that he wouldn’t agree to enter government but the point was made and it made the DUP look rather out of touch on the issue.
To Donaldson’s credit he wasn’t put out of his stride and kept arguing that the Protocol was an important issue and one which warrants a boycott of government.
The other leaders tried to argue that the Protocol is between the UK and the EU and that Donaldson staying out of parliament because of it didn’t make much sense.
Long got a nice dig in by saying that Donaldson had more power over blocking the Protocol while he was an MP and underpinned the Tory government in Westminster
In what was perhaps the line of the night, Eastwood went further, saying:
Jeffrey’s waiting on Boris Johnson to ride over the hill to save him. Ask anybody who’s ever trusted Boris Johnson in his life how that ended up.
Based on the polls, Sinn Féin’s is looking very good to be the largest party after the election. The party’s strategy has therefore been to not say anything that might jeopardise that.
That strategy was epitomised by O’Neill tonight who largely attempted to stay out of the fray. Even on the question of a border poll, O’Neill tried to pivot to the issue of the cost-of-living.
The Sinn Féin deputy leader said she of course makes no secret of the fact that she wants a united Ireland but she was less interested in when that might be.
“I don’t get fixated on a date, but I’m very fixated on the planning,” she told moderator Jim Fitzpatrick when he pushed her on it.
Beattie used the border poll question to attack Donaldson by saying that it was he who seemed to be talking the most about it and using it as a “scare tactic”.
“There is no border poll on the ballot,” Beattie added.
The latest opinion poll published today was particularly good news for Long and the Alliance party, putting them neck and neck with the DUP in second place.
It would be a historic result for the party and would add weight to its argument that current structures in the Northern Ireland Assembly are in need of reform.
As part of the power-sharing structure formed as part of the Good Friday Agreement, the offices of first and deputy first minister must be shared between elected MLAs who designate themselves as either ‘nationalist’ or ‘unionist’.
It effectively gives the biggest nationalist party and the biggest unionist party a veto on whether there’s a working government.
The Alliance Party do not designate as either and if the party were to pull out a second place finish it would mean discussion over Northern Ireland’s system of government would get more real.
Long repeatedly sought to return to bread-and-butter issues during the debate and when she spoke about the need for joined up thinking like increasing public transport to give people more choices in healthcare several in the audience could be seen nodding.
Eastwood agreed and said while they can talk about the cost-of-living crisis and the health services, “nothing will be done about any of these issues if we don’t have a government”.
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Car crash tv for donaldson,the only thing coming out of his mouth was the protocol and had nothing to back up his claims.they are been found out for the spoofers that they are.hopefully there is a big change in northern Ireland after this election
@doyle: once a blue nose always always a blue nose. It will never get better unfortunately.
@Paul Gorry: I’m putting the monkey on us for the final. Very confident now i have to say.
@Vonvonic: iam glad it’s your monkey. Best of luck.
@doyle: DUP could be in big trouble if todays poll figures are accurate, because if the DUP and Alliance are level on 18.2% in first preference votes, then you must assume that Alliance will be far more transfer friendly than the DUP.
Early retirement for Jeffrey?
If this was a private company and they had to forsake their salaries or go back to work there is no question what they would do !
@Michael Loughnane: It was funny the only person in the audience to speak out in support of Jeffrey and the DUP’s stance on the Protocol was an Englishman.
@Joe Johnson: And that English man, Dan Boucher, is an ex Tory party activist who stood for the Torys in Wales but failed to get elected and has now joined the DUP. Possibly being lined up to take Jeff’s MLA seat so Jeff can continue as an MP in Westminster. He was also a prominent writer for Brexit Central.
Naomi Long was blindingly good tonight as was the SDLP guy. The Unionists are at each other’s throats. I hope the electorate take heed.
@Mary Conneely: Long and Eastwood were good. O’Neill afraid to open her mouth in case she put her foot in it. Beattie is the voice of reason in the Unionist camp and Eastwood is the best of the nationalist bunch, even with him being threatened with legal action by the Shinners. Sure who aren’t they threatening with legal action.
@GrumpyAulFella: Donaldsons disaster of a night as you failed to mention have shown up the dup big time..Sinn Fein an all island government soon..amazingly had only a handful of seats few years back but thanks to ff/fg mishandling the country putting it mildly they are the biggest party in the country.It must really hurt die hards like you to see Sinn Feins rise at your party’s demise.Leo and the boys think the turnaround is due to a savvy Sinn Féin social media campaign but its there total inept to do their jobs is what brought them down
@Brian Burns: You can only say that with certainty 5 years after the next general election but what’s the betting the mantra then will be 5 years wasn’t enough for SF to implement the changes needed to make our society a fairer one? I suppose a political change will be a good start but it will take some effort to get everyone on board to stop the waste and to build a more equal republic. Here’s hoping.
@Brian Burns: I’m surprised FG were not out canvassing for the DUP or the UUP
@Brian Burns: my party’s demise?? What party are you referring to? I’m afraid that 33% of the vote in the Republic, with no party willing to touch you with a barge pole will see your comrades stay on the back benches mo chara.
@GrumpyAulFella: your despise of sf,a party never in government is a result of media manipulation my friend,a subservient man who defends the government of the day without any critical thought,the polls speak for themselves, the media don’t fool the young so much as the old.Times are a changing me oul pal our day will come
@Tom Leddy: That old chestnut we hadn’t enough time,inherited a poisoned chalice nonsense that fg gave us first five yeArs after Bertie and the boys were ousted was a joke.If SF can’t implement change in five years move onto social democrats etc till some party stands up for the people..
@Shaun Gallagher: their mates in the journal did dup canvassing for them oul Jeffrey got great coverage here lately
@GrumpyAulFella:And I assume by your statement thatyou vote for FFG. I’m surprised that you haven’t also mentioned Maria Cahill like your handlers.
Sad people. They’re making it so that noone with any self respect could possibly pretend to care. Sad Sad Sad ulster unionism.
@Vonvonic: I thought they all done well except Jeffrey. He should of jumped at the chance to rejoin the UUP because the DUP hardline approach is not working anymore. The young people just think their Dinosaur attitude is from another era.
Hope that Alliance keep building election on election from here on in, a future merger/pact between them and the SDLP down the line might be the best way to go on the longer term path to normality and an eventual United Ireland as more of the TUV/DUP dinosaurs die off
90 seats, 38 constituencies! Madness. Bigger the table, less work gets done. DUP sliding can be a blessing or a hindrance as orange need representation and without it we could see a bit of anarchy. Alliance is obviously a more balanced keel so hope it manifests in the votes.
But 90 seats? – Mad Ted !
@Noel Lynn: Until 6 years ago, it was 108. High numbers were necessary to achieve the proper proportional representation and to get the Good Friday Agreement over the line.
The Alliance are just moderate unionists. They always vote that was when push comes to shove.
@Neil A Campbell: they are middle of the road with representation from many communities, not just Unionists.
@Neil A Campbell: they are middle of the road with representation from many communities, not just Unionists. That’s what makes them interesting to voters.
@Con Cussed: just as FFG/Lab are existentially committed to a 26 County state so are Alliance to a 6 County statelet. They are certainly not United Irelanders.
Jeffrey’s boycott. Sticky wicket. I see what you did there.
You can be first minister in 26.6% of the vote. It’s ludicrous
@Rory: As a result of a backroom deal, there will soon be a new Taoiseach of the Republic; a Taoiseach coming from a party which only received 20.9% of the vote. Becoming Taoiseach backed by a party which only received 22.2% of the vote, and who´s leader said in the very first press statement after the results “the people voted for change, there will be no coalition with Fine Gale” … ;-)
@Rory: Have a good look at Minister Eamon Ryan.
@Rory: insanity. But this is going to be fun to watch. The Shinners have an awful habit of slagging off Donnelly’s third level education background. I don’t think O’Neill even wen’t beyond grammar school and she’ll be the FM of Northern Ireland.
@GrumpyAulFella: read michaels reply then read yours..you have lost the room again you ain’t making sense again so you double down on your hateful anti SF rhetoric..some buzz off ya tho
@Michael Mike Mathäß: nobody will reply to that factual well spoken comment Michael get out of here
@GrumpyAulFella: Anyone who uses the name Shinners shows his party colours immediately. Intelligent people dont refer to Find Gael as blueshirts or compare Fianna Fail with brown envelopes and corruption of the highest order. Using insults instead of facts is not conversation, it just shows your lack of education in how to put your point across no matter how farcical.
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