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On
the Campaign Trail
with Mark
Devenport
One of
the unusual features of this election is the phenomenon of candidate cloning.
Rainbow George may have set the trend for standing in more than one constituency
at a time – now it seems to have caught on. The founder of the Make
Politicians History Party is again standing in the four Belfast constituencies
and Willie Frazer, the independent unionist, is standing in two. But they’ve
both been bested by the UKUP leader Robert McCartney who is standing in
no less than six constituencies.
Our
politicians didn’t let St Valentine’s Day pass without a photo
opportunity. It gave the SDLP a chance to come over all romantic when
they handed out special Valentine’s cards saying "Kiss Goodbye
to Direct Rule”. Naturally they’ll be hoping the electorate
aren’t kissing them goodbye this time round.
The DUP marked the
day with a special breakfast event. But it appears that there was a last
minute change of venue for the event. It had been planned for one Belfast
hotel but was quickly relocated to a nearby golf club. Perhaps the problem
was that the hotel was also hosting a conference for transsexuals and
transvestites!
It may be the time
for all good men to come to the aid of the party – but not when
it’s Republican Sinn Fein, it appears. The Electoral Commission
said RSF had not registered with them as a political party, therefore
their candidates would have to be listed as Independents on the ballot
paper. Party leader, Ruairi O Bradaigh, a former IRA chief of staff may
well have enough voter recognition, but how will the rest of the RSF candidates
fare?
Now it’s not
very often that politicians take on a self-imposed vow of silence. But
this week the Northern Ireland Office announced it was going into a form
of purdah during the election campaign by not making any policy decisions
that could be interpreted as interfering with the political process. However
they did manage to drop the veil when it came to announcing the demolition
of the last army control tower in Crossmaglen.
Unionists claimed
it was part of a deal to help Sinn Fein, though the government countered
that it was simply a continuation of a policy which has been going on
for some time.
If
You Ask Me Archive
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