40,000
FREE
Every Month
STANDARD TAXIS CHEAPEST AROUND FROM £2.40 07525 898 021
8 SEATER, WHEELCHAIR PRESTIGE TAXI AVAILABLE
028 9032 9999
Full and Part time drivers required ASAP
MARCH 2017
SHANKILL AND EAST BELFAST EDITION
Wake up and smell the coffee! Electoral Registration mix up Doing the rounds of the polling stations it became apparent that a number of residents had ‘lost’ their vote due to some issues about letters requesting residents re-register. In a follow up on this William Humphrey MLA commented: ‘On Polling Day I understand that many people lost out on their vote. I have raised the issue with our Deputy Leader, Nigel Dodds MP. I know that many people, many of whom were my supporters, were angry and frustrated at losing their right to vote and that is completely understandable! The key thing for our Unionist cause, is to maximise our vote. That means getting the maximum number of our community on the register. If you, your family or your friends missed out on your vote, can I ask you to call into my office and collect electoral registration forms? If you complete the form, we will then ensure that the forms are forwarded to the Electoral Office and have your name added to the register.’ Please note that you can contact any of your elected representatives who will also ensure that you name is included on the register of electors.
The headline in our last edition was – D Day March 2nd. Decision Day for many across Northern Ireland as the country went to the polls. The printing companies were kept busy in the run up to the election as the canvassers tramped the streets, knocking on doors and leaving election literature from just about every party. On the days prior to the election the bean counters and number crunchers along with the media commentators and political pundits were making all kinds of predictions about how the voters would vote, where political parties were strongest or weakest and who might suffer the ignominy of not being elected or re-elected. With a significantly increased percentage turn out, vote management and the reduction in MLA numbers down from 108 to 90 the final tally was DUP 28, Sinn Fein 27, SDLP 12, UUP 10, Alliance 8, Greens 2, TUV 1, PBP 1 and 1 Independent, the political landscape has changed dramatically with the DUP 1 seat ahead of Sinn Fein. So what happened? Were the results from the 2017 Assembly election an aberration, had it to do with the scandal around RHI and the potential predicted twenty year losses, was it about the Irish Language Act, was it about respect, honesty and integrity or was it about the impending Brexit?
BANGOR FUELS www.bangorfuels.com - 9146 6565
Of course Sinn Fein have come out of the traps applauding their ‘vote management’ skills or as it is better known ‘vote this way,’ with Gerry Adams leading the charge to the doors of Stormont Castle. The reality is that Sinn Fein and their allies are afraid of Brexit and the fact it was a decision taken by the people of the United Kingdom, of which Northern Ireland is an integral part of. This is an attempt to create a constitutional crisis, Sinn Fein have no desire to see Northern Ireland succeed and will do just about anything to collapse the institutions at Stormont and create a circumstance in which direct rule is the next option, just another opportunity to debase all that is British. Republicans will intensify their clarion call for a border referendum, already some political hasbeens are calling for a united Ireland. Republicans will intensify their arguments about Brexit saying that North and South the electorate are clamouring to remain in the costly and politically corrupt EU. Republicans will continue in their attempts to rewrite history, just remember this, of the 3,300+ names recorded in ‘Lost Lives’ 70% were killed by republicans, 20%
were killed by loyalists and 10% were killed by state forces. Despite the fact a number of high profile figures within Unionism were not re-elected including Nelson McCausland in North Belfast and Danny Kennedy in Newry & South Armagh we were heartened by the fact Frank McCoubrey once again increased his first preference votes in West Belfast, so there is a seat to win, we just need to encourage people to understand the importance of voting. For Unionism the results from March 2nd are a significant wake-up call and instead of doing the usual and blame Anybody, Everybody, Somebody and Nobody we need to come together, our elected representatives need to listen to the electorate and to those who are working at grassroots. The coffee cup may have a few chips in it and it may have been in the dishwasher quite a few times but there is plenty of mileage in it yet. Using the old adage of two donkeys tied together feeding from a single bale of hay, if they pull apart neither of them will get fed, but turn around and pull together they will both get fed. Pretty simple isn’t it?