We Knew This Day Would Come

at

Sinn Féin’s John Finucane (top centre) celebrates his win over DUP Deputy Leader Nigel Dodds (above centre) this morning

This afternoon.

Via RTÉ:

Unionists will not have a majority of the 18 seats in Westminster for the first time…

its deputy leader was ousted by Sinn Féin and the party lost out to the Alliance Party in North Down…SDLP leader Colum Eastwood won in Foyle and Alliance Party deputy leader Stephen Farry took the North Down seat vacated by Sylvia Hermon.

The results will be seen as potential evidence of a shift towards more centre-ground politics in the region – a trend that appears to be borne out by another positive showing for the cross-community Alliance Party.

Hmm.

Nigel Dodds loses North Belfast seat to SF’s Finucane (RTÉ)

Earlier

Via Irish Political Maps

For the first time ever, Northern Ireland has returned a majority of nationalist MPs with a total of 9 (7 SF, 2 SDLP) compared to 8 unionist MPs (all DUP).

Whatever your political inclination, there’s no denying this is historic.

Pics: AP/Getty

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29 thoughts on “We Knew This Day Would Come

  1. Brother Barnabas

    no matter – sammy wilson reckons boris still needs them

    what was charger’s spent condom analogy?

  2. Formerly known as @ireland.com

    Border poll now. “Get unity done” has a nice ring to it. It works for the nutty Tories. No need to rush this, we can wait till March. Seriously, the writing is on the wall. The English don’t want any foreigners, the unionists have no friends, it is time to do this.

    1. scottser

      what’s all this talk of ‘writing on the wall’ and ‘get off the fence’. are you trying to implant the idea of border infrastructure subliminally?

  3. BS

    A united Ireland is a terrible idea. Just like brexit. People don’t understand the intricacies of what would be involved.

    Orange marches down O’Connell st?
    Union flag over Leinster house?

    Do you think unionists would just sit quietly up there and not demand their “identity” be put on par across the whole of the newly united country?

      1. postmanpat

        Christian analogy. Because Christianity has worked out so well in NI. Is that a catholic inn or a protestant inn? who cares…lets get to what we really love doing for any reason ….. bang bang bang boom!!!! and now lets bring that sprit of Christian sectarianism down to the secular south. Bombs in Dublin!!!! Happy new year!!

    1. Andrew

      Totally agree BS. I am truly amazed at the amount of people, advocating for this. It’s a mad idea.
      It saddens me how little those in the South understand about the North. I include our media in this, who should really know better.

    2. Kolmo

      Why would the be a union flag over the Dáil? The whole country will not be in a union with England anymore..
      The feared headbanger loyalist element, now impotent, will dilute with time. Unifying Ireland, keeping us all within the worlds largest, best regulated trading block makes far more sense than letting the north sink further economically by following the notions of English exceptionalism and a regulation-free US-led race to the bottom, that would cause further economic grief which will be exploited by those who thrive on chaos and paranoia. Devil makes work…
      It’s an opportunity for a total overhaul of how we do things, of course vested interests like the property sector will need full rethinking, that’s why the Irish times and others are actively campaigning against the dissolution of the border, coincidentally their biggest advertising client…

      1. some old queen

        Do you honestly think Northern people will put up with no social housing and the shambles called the south’s public health service?

        My point is all will have to change but that is not necessarily a bad thing- you may be surprised how quickly the ‘them and us’ becomes north and south rather than orange and green.

        As I said before, there is if not an economic left then at least a social democratic element to all the political parties in the north.

  4. Cú Chulainn

    It’s a big for Ireland. Dodds first thing: let’s get our noses back in the trough, I mean, let’s get Stormount back up and running. Unionism is broken. That’s it. Only a question of how long we milk the British ego. I did doubt McGuinness, but he was right. Eireann go Brath..!!

  5. Spaghetti Hoop

    Arlene was particularly scathing in a radio interview with Tommy O’Gorman about Finucane not paying credit to his losing opponent Dodds. She did go on a bit about how great her Deputy served the constituency. That aside, and whatever your political persuasion, isn’t it plain good manners to at least acknowledge your opponents and thank them for a good fight etc. ? Maybe he has done since…

    1. some old queen

      For some peculiar reason, the words good manners and the DUP in the one comment don’t sit right with me.

    1. GiggidyGoo

      I suppose FF and FG, if they eventually run successful candidates in the North, will swear allegiance to The Queen (or King). Whatever about FG, FF wouldn’t dare.

  6. Scundered

    Boris would love to hand the bill for Northern Ireland to the Irish, it’s a massive economic disaster for whoever owns it, does the Irish tax payer realise this? If it happens the loyalists will be out shooting random Catholics again, it’ll be a complete bloodbath. They’ll never do the decent thing of respecting a democratic vote. So this is much more problematic than most realise, it’s like voting for civil war.

    1. V

      But it’s not an economic decision for the majority of the Island

      And I don’t think the prospect of civil skirmishes will have much of a say tbh when it comes down to it

      1. Scundered

        How do you think the Republic will be able to cough up a billion a month to keep the north afloat, and the additional cost of a new civil war? Is it worth it as long as the people killed are people you don’t know? And how many lives do you feel are acceptable?

        1. V

          That’s a pretty vicious remark there Scunder
          Is it worth it as long as the people killed are people you don’t know

          And isn’t deserving of an answer

          I’ve lived my entire life by this one fact
          Ireland is an island
          And nothing is going to change that

          Tiocfidh
          Till I die
          Loud and proud

      2. GiggidyGoo

        Of course it’s an economic decision for the majority. What other decision would you have us believe it is?
        Personally, I’d like to see a few hundred JCB’s get to work and detach the six counties from the rest. Be that a moat or whatever.
        Northern Ireland should work on getting its own identity, becoming its own country, and leave the shackles of the UK and IE behind.

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