The first results should be coming in in a couple of hours – the BBC has a page here, and the Vote 07 election programme has started and can be watched online here.
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Naomi Long of Alliance elected on first count in East Belfast
David Allworthy
In fact a brilliant result only 48 votes behind Peter Robinson of the DUP and nearly double hwat she got in 2003.
David
I have to say, it’s a surprisingly pleasant experience watching the live results of an STV election. The BBC have come up with quite a good system of reporting it.
Let’s hope for a lot more of them in future!
Could be a good result for the Alliance today, too.
The BBC says the Alliance’s Anna Lo is expected to gain a seat in South Belfast – excellent news if it comes off!
You have to say that SF look to have split their vote remarkably well
The four candidates other than Adams in W Belfast all polled between 4,700 and 4,200 first prefs!
Anna Lo only needs about 500 transfers to do it …..
Anna Lo profile
I like the way the Alliance website uses Prater Raines. 😉
I know race shouldn’t come into politics, but I’m sure this result will get a lot of press attention for precisely that reason!
There can’t be many elected politicians from the East Asian communities in any of the UK legislatures. In fact I can’t think of any off the top of my head – no doubt someone will correct me here!
This just goes to show how far Northern Irish politics has come in recent years.
Impressive performance by David Ford in South Antrim as well beating Burnside on first preferences. Should get re-elected. So despite the usual doom mongers looks likely all Alliance seats will be held and there might even be a couple of gains.
Not more than one gain I think…
Alliance polled right on the edge of disaster last time out and held onto seats by whiskers, most on the 6th seat decided out of 6. The higher vote this time puts them onto a less marginal course but it may be they have simply gained as first preferences votes they picked up as later preferences last time.
Anna Lo has picked up 5 extra votes in the second and third counts.
This blog is by one of our local members who has heavily involved with the Alliance campaign: http://sammymorse.livejournal.com/
Gives some background analysis.
He tells me they are very confident about the 7 seats, but that they are a long way behind for the 8th.
Also worth noting that 7 seats is 6.48 of the total against 5.2% first prefs – the transfers work well for us.
Trevor Lunn has held Seamus Close’s old seat in Lagan Valley. Looking very much like 7 for the Alliance now.
The Liberal cause marches on! 😉
Anna Lo has been elected – congratulations to her!
Have a look at the count in East Antrim (use the rte site for this) the only constituency with two Alliance candidates. There is a slight, very slight, chance of Alliance picking up two seats (would already have one with large excess quota if only one candidate)but this is on the basis of the count running out of candidates before final quota is reached Second alliance candidate is about 9 votes ahead of other candidate facing earlier elimination…
I’m embarassed that this party aligns itself with Unionist-lite Alliance party. Pathetic. Saor Uladh!
Second Alliance in East Antrim has been eliminated in the vote.
I don’t think Dickson ever had much chance in East Antrim – he and Neeson would have had to balance their votes *much* better to have any hope at all.
I hope our Scottish colleagues are taking note of the need for proper vote balancing under STV!
Sean Neeson has been elected in East Antrim – that makes it 7 for the Alliance.
The Greens have even got an MLA in North Down, in the clearest sign yet that parts of Northern Ireland are turning away from sectarianism.
I can’t think of any other circumstances at which I’d be pleased at a Green gain, but good for them. 😉
The impressive thing about the Alliance performance is the success of their targeting strategy under STV. A candidate elected in all 7 target constituencies and miles off in all the rest.
The Scottish local election seats will be different in several respects not least the fact that they are on the small size (nos to be elected) for STV to work properly.