If You Ask Me
with Malachi O'Doherty

Well maybe there isn't going to be an October election to Westminster. That's what our First Minister Ian Paisley thinks. But I bet some of his backroom boys are getting into a flap about the prospect. It's not what they planned for.

They are trying to use the Assembly Executive as a springboard into Westminster for some of their high risk candidates and they have not yet acquired enough bounce. Sinn Fein faces the same worry. So do the Ulster Unionists. These parties have appointed as ministers people they will want to field at the next Westminster election. They are trying to enhance the profile of candidates whose chances might otherwise be slim.

Arlene Foster, our environment Minister, will seek to take Fermanagh South Tyrone. Currently it's held by Agriculture Minister, and alleged committee mitcher, Michelle Gildernew.

Arlene will first want to have cut a fine figure in environment.
But it's not going very well for her. The people suspect she'd like to bulldoze the Giant's Causeway to make room for nice bungalows.

The grander strategy for Arlene must be to get a deal with the Ulster Unionists. Leave South Belfast to Michael McGimpsey, in return for no unionist standing against her on her home patch. But then who knows for sure that a unionist dissident won't pop up to split the vote and cover Michelle Gildernew.

Ordinarily, Michelle would have less of a problem, since she doesn't actually take her seat at Westminster, being a principled Republican who refuses to swear allegiance to the Queen, whatever the cost in terms of representation of her constituents. That lightens her diary, frees her up for ploughing contests and even committee meetings if she takes the notion.

But she has foot and mouth and bluetongue to deal with. All that and an election to fight too? All the better if a dissident unionist would do the job of holding back Arlene.

Over at South Down, two ministers may be fighting for the Westminster seat. The SDLP is preparing Margaret Ritchie to take over from Eddie McGrady, who surely will retire now, surely deserves to. No?

And Sinn Fein is hoping to pitch Catriona Ruane into Westminster from there. Can both ministers fight bare knuckle election campaigns while remaining in office?

And if they do so, will they bring issues from the assembly into the fight - Catriona perhaps attacking Margaret for her handling of the UDA?

Catriona is wide open on her silliness about the Irish language but it's hard to see the SDLP killing that sacred cow, even for the chance of beating her with its tail.

Ian Paisley Senior came out of the Labour Party conference confident that there will be no October election. Well, our local concerns will not weigh in the decision; they never do. But if our parties are going to treat the executive primarily as a runway for the take off of political careers into Westminster, voters here might feel a little used and have something to say about that themselves.

If You Ask Me Archive