Friday, May 06, 2005
More on the vote
The news from Northern Ireland is disheartening. The more moderate Ulster Unionist Party has lost 4 seats to the hardline Paisleyite Democratic Unionist Party. One of those MPs to lose his seat was the Nobel Prize-winning David Trimble, who did so much to get the peace process going seven years ago. Since only 18 seats were contested in Northern Ireland, this is a political earthquake, marking a continuing trend of polarization. On the other side of the fence, Sinn Fein has, thus far, netted one seat, with the moderate SDLP staying constant at 2. With the Trimble Unionists clearly on the wane and an unrepentant Sinn Fein still tied to a recalcitrant IRA, we could see some real trouble in future months. The Protestant marching season is once again upon us and one wonders if the Paisleyites are feeling feistier than usual.
If I had to name a party that reaped gains, it would be the Tories. And yet, it's clearly a sign of party disappointment when the leader resigns just after an election. Michael Howard's departure will usher in Tony Blair's fifth Tory sparring partner since he ascended to the leadership of Labour. Clearly the Tories did the most to both hurt Labour and constrain the Liberal Democrats. It would seem that no one is really happy with this result. Maybe Blair can claim some validation; no matter how much he stuck by Gordon Brown, it was still his name at the top of the ticket.
If I had to name a party that reaped gains, it would be the Tories. And yet, it's clearly a sign of party disappointment when the leader resigns just after an election. Michael Howard's departure will usher in Tony Blair's fifth Tory sparring partner since he ascended to the leadership of Labour. Clearly the Tories did the most to both hurt Labour and constrain the Liberal Democrats. It would seem that no one is really happy with this result. Maybe Blair can claim some validation; no matter how much he stuck by Gordon Brown, it was still his name at the top of the ticket.
