CONSTITUENCY PROFILE:There is solid suppport for Jim Shannon who is contesting the seat given up by Iris Robinson, writes FIONNUALA O CONNOR
SLEEPY, LARGELY affluent and unionist, Strangford looks set to be a walkover for the DUP’s Jim Shannon, who has been a hard-working local councillor for 25 years and assembly member for 12. The only anxiety is the Iris factor but Shannon swats it away with his own record, probably correctly.
He’s a plain-spoken friendly chap, made for vote-getting. He joined the UDR at 18 and is in all the major loyal orders: the Ulster Farmers Union – as a pig-farmer – the Countryside Alliance and a couple of shooting associations. And he likes motorbikes and Ulster Scots. That brings a lot of potential support from fellow enthusiasts, as well as grateful constituents.
On a rainy night he slogs around Newtownards, Strangford’s main town to meet the people in a fine-striped navy suit. An elderly woman flings an arm around him. “Of course you have my vote, didn’t you get my lovely wall cleaned?” She wants the reporter to take note. “It was ‘F**k the IRA’, in big letters!” Shannon blushes a little. “We don’t get much of that around here,” he says.
He is bidding to replace Iris Robinson, who resigned her seat last January amid controversy over her affair. She is now receiving psychiatric care outside Northern Ireland, according to the DUP and her family.
Her hard work in the constituency was undone by the affair, along with involvement with developers and the family’s extravagant claims on the public purse. It recently came out that Shannon himself had omitted to include a house in Florida on the Stormont register of interests. An oversight, he says. “It’s registered now anyhow,” he adds, with a trace of irritation. “I didn’t get any hassle on it. I just say, ‘judge me on what I’ve done for people in this constituency’.”
Boundary changes could leave him 3,500 votes down, he says warily, speaking in his worn little office under the eye of apparatchik Simon Hamilton. But they are amiable. They have been miles away from the ill temper of DUP press officers, and Iris’s husband, in the past months. There are photos on the walls of a benevolent, ageing Paisley, both elder Paisleys and Shannon, and a jokey “Florida Gator” postcard. But no Robinsons.
On the doorsteps, Shannon insists, Iris, developers and expenses are scarcely mentioned. People want to talk about jobs, education, and roads repairs.
“The most I’m getting is people saying it’s terrible sad about Iris and how it’s all worked out.” With uncharacteristic formality, and a glance towards Hamilton, he adds, “I can make no comment on the party leader’s affairs.”
Shannon need not fret about his unionist rivals. Former local broadcaster Mike Nesbitt declared an interest in running while Iris was MP, abandoning his job as Victims Commissioner. As veteran presenter of UTV’s tea-time news, he had the recognition factor sewn-up. Yet his campaign for the Ulster Conservatives and Unionists – New Force has been as accident-prone as the UCUNF.
Articulate to a fault, he fired up phone-in programmes and local papers by suggesting he might have superior Westminster skills to Shannon.
The DUP man had said that Nesbitt might be good on air but questioned whether he would be good on the ground, helping fishermen and farmers with grant applications and quota forms.
He should stick to fixing “potholes in Portaferry”, said Nesbitt, who asked whether constituents might be better served if Shannon continued to “do what he does best and leave the issue of promoting Strangford in Parliament to me”.
Nesbitt sounds sadder and wiser. “I do regret that. I did go in trying to be positive. It’s easier to be negative than positive.” It’s clear the UCUNF rebrand may have met less of a welcome than he expected.
The remaining candidates with solid votes are intent on groundwork for the next assembly election. Deborah Girvan, a first-time candidate for Alliance, is a cheerful former organiser for integrated schooling and businesswoman. She thinks Alliance’s higher profile, because leader David Ford is now policing minister, should help lure another few per cent next Thursday.
Claire Hanna, who joined the SDLP 10 years ago at the age of 19, is the daughter of Carmel Hanna, who recently retired as South Belfast MLA.
She is a full-time party worker, popular for her lively and humorous local radio discussions. Relations are good with Alliance: “People say, you’ll get our second preferences.”
Terry Williams, Traditional Unionist, is a former DUP councillor. Party leader Jim Allister told his selection meeting that he could be relied on to conduct himself with decorum. He is unlikely to disturb the Shannon-Nesbitt face-off.