I doubt that very much, as I can think of many MP's who could have suffered if it was true.
gerry adams you can't just quit as an mp
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I doubt that very much, as I can think of many MP's who could have suffered if it was true.
I wonder what it was your mate thought he'd say.
I expect you know what you're talking about.
nino_savatte
No pasaran!
In the republic he'd be called a TD (Teachta Dála) not an MP.
Oswaldtwistle
Banned
Well yes and no.
The people of West Belfast knew he was abstentionist when they chose to vote for him, and he got 71% of the vote so in that sense they *are* being represented.
ymu
Niall Ferguson's deep-cover sock-puppet
Precisely. His parliamentary salary gets ploughed back in too - he doesn't keep it, AFAIK.
Oswaldtwistle
Banned
I was just wondering if a really strong independent candidate could take this. On the face of it, no chance, cos Adams got 71% of the vote. But turnout last time was very low, and some of that may have been a personal vote for Gerry.
Still very unlikely though, but wouldn't it be great to see NI finally move beyond sectarian politics?
Still very unlikely though, but wouldn't it be great to see NI finally move beyond sectarian politics?
More chance of a tory winning it.
BTW do you know any british MPs who got 71% of the vote? and I'm assuming Gerry didn't get too many votes up the Shankill, so his local % was way higher than 71%.
His replacement is a local republican ex-prisoner. Continuity (pardon the pun) is assured.
Oswaldtwistle
Banned
In 2010? Four people got over 70%, three of them Labour.
Stephen Timms 70.4 in East Ham
George Howarth 70.9 in knowsley
(Gerry 71.0)
Steven Rotherham 72.0 in Liverpool Walton was the highest
http://www.politicsresources.net/area/uk/ge10/wvote.htm
Of course the people of West Belfast can vote for whom they bloomin well like, but at some stage they need to move on and I'm not convinced this is the right way to do that.
As a matter of interest I wonder if the Tories will choose to contest this election- and if so under what banner?
That's assuming there is an election of course- and unless Gerry agrees to take Northstead there won't be- can't be.
belboid
Exasperated, not angry.
a surprisingly low 67th in terms of proportion of the electorate voting for him, tho that's the low turnout mainly.
And there will be an election with him taking Northstead, or the other one. If it comes to it, he'll turn up in the chamber, and be thrown out and expelled, as happened to some bloke in 1927
And there will be an election with him taking Northstead, or the other one. If it comes to it, he'll turn up in the chamber, and be thrown out and expelled, as happened to some bloke in 1927
Oswaldtwistle
Banned
Well he is now Steward of Northstead. http://conservativehome.blogs.com/g...or-belfast-west-to-prompt-a-by-election-.html
Looks like they just appointed him to avoid a fuss.
Looks like they just appointed him to avoid a fuss.
So that's 4 out 600 and how many? How does that work as a percentage? I am not much good with maths
Oswaldtwistle
Banned
AKA pseudonym
Well-Known Member
A message from Gerry earlier ( I posted this on the other thread having not noticed this one 
)
)So Cameron is stirring the shit regarding Gerry accepting a 'crown position......
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Oswaldtwistle
Banned
A message from Gerry earlier ( I posted this on the other thread having not noticed this one
So Cameron is stirring the shit regarding Gerry accepting a 'crown position......
Looks like his letter of resignation has been interpreted as a request for Northstead and he has been given it without the need to formally accept. Anyway there you have it- one by election coming right up.
I'm certainly no expert on Northern Ireland (although I would like to learn more) . From what little I do know it is clear the people of West Belfast and other Catholic areas had some really strong grivences in the past, and I can quite understand the mentality of someone 20 or 30 years ago voting SF. But I think it would be good if a really strong independent came along, perhaps with SDLP support and cut SFs majority at least. It would give some sort of prospect of mainstream politics coming to Northern Ireland eventually.
At some stage in the next 20 or 30 years NI will have to move on, and 'politics as usual' will be an important part of that.
Pickman's model
Starry Wisdom
yeh so they can enjoy all the benefits of labour and tory mps like the rest of us
You seem to be under the impression that SF, SDLP etc etc aren't 'mainstream politics' in NI. They are.
Pickman's model
Starry Wisdom
especially with the very real chance that sf will be the largest party in the assembly at the next elections.
Oswaldtwistle
Banned
Well of course they are. But I find it depressing that voting still takes place along those lines, when the constitutional issue is effectively settled.
More Catholics now support the union than support a united Ireland http://www.ark.ac.uk/nilt/2009/Political_Attitudes/NIRELND2.html, yet almost all Catholics vote along nationalist lines http://www.ark.ac.uk/nilt/2009/Political_Attitudes/POLPART2.html
I certainly don't expect to see the Catholic community in West Belfast voting DUP but one day I hope they will vote Conservative, Liberal Democrat or Labour.
Fair play to you embree. That's an excellent post. I was gonna reply to Oswald but I wasn't sure if he was having a laugh. Then I was struggling to see how the 'knowledge gap' could be overcome with brevity - and without sarcasm. Your post did just that. Simply and politely.
Oswaldtwistle
Banned
Just to be clear, I'm certainly not having a laugh. My views are those of an outsider, for sure.
l
Lies, damned lies & statistics, eh?
So all these Unionist Catholics are voting Sinn Féin?
Oswaldtwistle
Banned
I've no idea- you tell me.........
I hope that one day they'll find better solutions than Tory, Lib Dem or Labour. I think they'd be entitled to look across the water at us and wonder what the fuck we're thinking of voting for parties as useless as them.
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