Sylvia Hermon Rejects UCUNF as UUP Reveals 17 Westminister Nominees

[picador]

North Down MP Sylvia Hermon has announced that she will not be seeking the UCUNF nomination for the forthcoming Westminister election. It's now likely that the Labour ally will probably stand as an Independent while Tory Ian J. Parsley - a former Alliance Party Euro-candidate - will don the UCUNF mantle.

BBC News - UUP MP Lady Sylvia Hermon rejects UCUNF candidacy

Meanwhile the UUP has announced its nominations for NI's other 17 seats:
North Antrim- Robin Swann
South Antrim- Adrian Watson
East Antrim- Rodney McCune
North Belfast - Fred Cobain
West Belfast- Bill Manwaring
South Belfast- Paula Bradshaw
East Belfast- Trevor Ringland
Strangford- Mike Nesbitt
South Down- John McAllister
Lagan Valley- Daphne Trimble
Upper Bann- Harry Hamilton
Newry and Armagh - Danny Kennedy
Fermanagh and South Tyrone- Tom Elliot
Mid Ulster- Sandra Overend
West Tyrone- Ross Hussey
Foyle- David Harding
East Derry- Lesley McAuley

There are some good potential candidates in there: former UTV presenter Mike Nesbitt, former Ireland rugby international Trevor Ringland; and Village community-worker Paula Bradshaw (who incidentally is Ian Parsley's partner). Also noteworthy are Daphne Trimble, wife of David, and Freddy Mercury impersonator 'Flash' Harry Hamilton. Then there are the usual OO types such as Tom Elliot and Danny Kennedy.

One name that reportedly exorcises Tories is South Antrim nominee Adrian Watson. Watson has form for both homophobic outbursts (he went public to announce that gay people are unwelcome at his B & B establisment) and for anti-GAA bigotry (he complained to Tesco management when children from a local GAA club were involved in a fund-raising bag-wrap). South Antrim is one of the constituencies where the UUP should be in with a strong chance. The DUP incumbent, Willie McCrea, has a majority of three and a half thousand.

The 17 UUP nominees will now go head to head with the Conservative Party's nominees in a final selection contest.

[mutley]

already a thread on this

[picador]

Well thanks for pointing that out mutley. Keith M was two minutes ahead of me.

Perhaps the mods could merge.

[picador]

There is more comment on the prospective UUP candidates at UCUNF friendly 3,000 Versts

There's a particularly wicked comment regarding South Antrim:
South Antrim: Adrian Watson, a local councillor, is a contentious choice. His brand of unionism is not considered convivial to the Conservatives. Expect a heated discussion in the Joint Executive if Watson emerges as the candidate to face Willie McCrea. The DUP traditionalist would represent a big scalp for UCUNF and it is important to pick the right person to take him on. It would be galling to see McCrea squeak back into Westminster by virtue of the back door. The issue of Watson’s wife, who is reluctant to accept rent from boys who wish to share a room in her bed and breakfast, remains outstanding. What Willie makes of that, we can only surmise.

And from The Guardian last week:
The Tories face further embarrassment after their new allies, the Ulster Unionists, selected a councillor accused of homophobia to stand in the general election.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010...ist-homophobia

[picador]

Nine of the above-named UUP nominees (the one's I've emboldened) have now been confirmed as UCU-NF candidates for the forthcoming Westminister election.

BBC News - Tories and UUP agree candidates

So where do the Tories stand? Will they offer us a token Catholic?

And is anyone other than me interested?

[Panopticon]

0 x Catholics = Sectarianism

[picador]

UCU-NF may select Catholic Tory Peter McCann in South Belfast (though the UUP have potentially a decent candidate in Paula Bradshaw). UCU-NF will certainly select Tom Elliot in Fermanagh & South Tyrone. Whay may then transpire is that the DUP don't stand in against Elliot in F & ST - or put up a weak candidate - and in return the UUP in South Belfast go AWOL come election time. Jimmy Spratt (MLA) was the DUP candidate there last time around and came a close second to McDonnell.

[picador]

Forget what I said above about Elliot in F & ST.

Rumours abound that ex-RUC Chief Inspector Norman Baxter will stand in F & ST and that the DUP will not oppose him. I suppose UCUNF will use the excise that Michelle Gildernew is an abstentionist to justify what might appear to be some king of agreement. What would the DUP get in return? An unknown Tory for nervous Nigel in North Belfast? McCann in South Belfast?

Meanwhile a Tory called Duncan Crossey is in the reckoning for East Derry.

Trimble against Donaldson in Lagan Valley should be a belter.

And if Adrian Watson gets the nod, will homophobia be a big talking point in South Antrim?

[Garza]

0 x Catholics = Sectarianism

So then all protestant churches are sectarian?
All catholic churches as well?
Protestant and catholic schools too?
The Vatican? The girl guides?

[Garza]

Forget what I said above about Elliot in F & ST.

Rumours abound that ex-RUC Chief Inspector Norman Baxter will stand in F & ST and that the DUP will not oppose him. I suppose UCUNF will use the excise that Michelle Gildernew is an abstentionist to justify what might appear to be some king of agreement. What would the DUP get in return? An unknown Tory for nervous Nigel in North Belfast? McCann in South Belfast?

Does this mean that Norman Baxter is running under as a Tory candidate as the UUP have comfirmed their candidate - Elliot. All very interesting. I still think Gildernew will nick the seat though.

What will the DUP get in return? I don't think anything. Maybe they actually withdrew because they wanted a unionist to run F&ST. The DUP have withdrawn candidates in the past, they haven't i nthe last 10 years because they got very cocky, but not any more.

Meanwhile a Tory called Duncan Crossey is in the reckoning for East Derry.

A neocon? Oh good lord.

Trimble against Donaldson in Lagan Valley should be a belter.

Definitely. Would love to see a Trimble beat weeeeee Jeffrey.

And if Adrian Watson gets the nod, will homophobia be a big talking point in South Antrim?

I hope not. Rumours abound that Col. Collins is running under the Tory ticket there, but who knows. Don't like watson though, sounds like a right *************************. Kinda ironic that a homophobe could be running against Revvy McCrea .