Winners And Losers
East Belfast
The shock of the election was in Northern Ireland. DUP leader Peter Robinson was sensationally beaten by Alliance candidate and Belfast lord mayor Naomi Long. She ended the First Minister’s 31-year grip on the seat and attracted support from a range of sources keen to see the end of the Robinson era. The Traditional Unionist Voice claimed it had wrecked the DUP leader’s Westminster career.
Strangford
DUP man Jim Shannon comfortably took the seat held until last January by Iris Robinson. Ulster Conservatives and Unionists candidate, former UTV journalist Mike Nesbitt, trailed in nearly 5,000 votes behind on just over 9,000 votes. He admitted the joint project involving the UUP and the Tories had taken a “bit of a bloody nose” but said the link-up was a long-term one.
North Down
Lady (Sylvia) Hermon retained the North Down seat she first won in 2001 with an increased majority and more than 60 per cent of the vote. It was a disappointing night for the Conservatives who came in more than 14,000 votes behind Lady Hermon who attracted support from across the constituency.
South Belfast
The SDLP scored a significant win here when Dr Alasdair McDonnell retained his Westminster seat with a substantially increased majority. Sinn Féin’s Alex Maskey had withdrawn to give him a clear run, but the SDLP pointed out Dr McDonnell’s 5,926 majority was more than double the 2,662 votes Mr Maskey obtained in the 2005 general election. Dr McDonnell said: “This result far exceeds my expectations.”
West Belfast
Despite unfavourable media coverage in recent months, Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams retained his seat with a slightly higher share of the vote, up to 71.1 per cent from 70.5 per cent in 2005. He welcomed what he said were “trickles” of votes from the loyalist and unionist parts of the constituency and pledged to represent these voters just as strongly as the republicans.
Fermanagh-South Tyrone
Just four votes separated Sinn Féin’s Michelle Gildernew and unionist unity candidate Rodney Connor when the Fermanagh-South Tyrone result was finally declared yesterday afternoon. The pair were so close votes were counted four times in the last constituency in the North to declare. Ms Gildernew secured 21,304 of the 47,066 votes cast, with Mr Connor polling 21,300. Mr Connor said he would take legal advice.
West Tyrone
Sinn Féin’s Pat Doherty, the outgoing MP, was re-elected with 18,050 votes, having never looked under threat. Mr Doherty was well ahead of the DUP’s Tom Buchanan, on 7,365 votes, and the Ulster Conservatives and Unionists – New Force (UCUNF) candidate Ross Hussey, on 5,281. The SDLP’s Joe Byrne, a former Assembly member, received 5,212 votes.
North Antrim
DUP candidate Ian Paisley jnr was elected to take the seat held by his father, the Rev Ian Paisley, for the previous 40 years. He received 12,000 votes more than Traditional Unionist Voice leader Jim Allister following a bitter election campaign. Mr Allister, who left the DUP over its decision to share power with Sinn Féin, said voters would regret endorsing DUP policies which were leading them “down the road of an all-Ireland republic”.
Mid Ulster
Northern Ireland Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness retained the seat he has held since 1997, securing more than half of the 41,000 votes cast. His nearest rivals, Ian McCrea of the DUP and Tony Quinn of the SDLP, trailed far behind. Mr McGuinness described the result as a “remarkable victory”.
South Antrim
The DUP’s Willie McCrea retained his seat with 11,536 votes. Ulster Unionist Party leader Sir Reg Empey (UCUNF) came second with 10,353, while Sinn Féin’s Mitchel McLaughlin was third with 4,729. The turnout was 54.15 per cent. The result was a decisive defeat for Sir Reg, whose leadership of the Ulster Unionist Party was left in doubt as a consequence, and was also a blow for the future of the Unionist-Conservative alliance.
East Antrim
An easy win for Sammy Wilson of the DUP in a seat with a Protestant majority of 79 per cent. Mr Wilson was odds on to retain the seat, but his majority is reduced from that of the 2005 election. Nonetheless, Rodney McCune of UCUNF, with 7,223 votes, and Sammy Morrison of the TUV, with 1,826 votes, failed to do him much damage.
North Belfast
The DUP’s Nigel Dodds retained the seat with 14,812 votes. But intensive campaigning from Sinn Féin’s Gerry Kelly has lifted his vote up by 3,841 since 2005. Alban Maginness of the SDLP came third with 4,544.
East Derry
The TUV’s attempt to unseat Gregory Campbell failed spectacularly when the party’s candidate William Ross trailed in fifth of the six candidates, just over 9,500 votes behind the outgoing DUP MP, who held his seat. Mr Ross, president of the TUV, once held this seat for 27 years as an Official Unionist MP. Lesley Macauley of UNCUNF easily outpolled him to finish third.
Foyle
Mark Durkan, with a slightly reduced majority, easily retained the Foyle seat for the SDLP with a 4,824 majority over second placed Martina Anderson of Sinn Féin. The surprise package of the night was veteran journalist and activist Eamonn McCann whose vote soared to give him a realistic chance of winning a seat in next year’s Assembly election. Maurice Devenney of the DUP easily outpolled his Unionist rival David Harding of UCUNF.
Lagan Valley
Jeffrey Donaldson achieved another landslide victory in Lagan Valley, taking 50 per cent of the overall vote, and successfully defying the challenge made on his Westminster seat by Daphne Trimble, representing the UUP-Conservatives. Both nationalist parties polled very poorly, partially a result of the redrawn electoral boundaries.
South Down
SDLP leader Margaret Ritchie managed to hold on to the South Down seat of her predecessor, Eddie McGrady, with a substantial lead over her closest rival, Sinn Féin Minister for Education Caitríona Ruane. The victory was in part due to tactical voting on the part of the largely nationalist constituency’s unionists, who voted for Ms Ritchie to ensure the unpopular Ms Ruane did not win the seat.
Upper Bann
The DUP’s David Simpson was re-elected MP with a reduced majority. Voter turnout was down by more than 5 per cent on 2005. Freddie Mercury impersonator Harry Hamilton, secretary of the Ulster Unionist Party’s Upper Bann Association and the Ulster Conservatives and Unionists – New Force candidate, took second place. Sinn Féin’s John O’Dowd thought he might be runner-up but lost out by just over 400 votes. The SDLP’s Dolores Kelly took fourth place ahead of the Alliance Party’s Brendan Heading.
Newry and Armagh
Sinn Féin’s Conor Murphy was re-elected MP following a count which was completed in the early hours of yesterday. Deputy leader of the Ulster Unionists Danny Kennedy said he very much regretted that the people of Newry and Armagh would not get full representation in the House of Commons due to Sinn Féin’s policy of abstention. He said his party was the leading unionist party in the constituency.
