Maskey’s Withdrawal from South Belfast April 20, 2010
Posted by Garibaldy in UK General Election 2010.trackback
An interesting move from Alex Maskey, the now former PSF candidate for South Belfast.
Speaking about the move concerning Mr Maskey, Mr Adams said: “This is a bold leadership initiative by Sinn Fein. It is about protecting and defending two nationalist seats.”
Mr Adams also said that he believed that “this initiative will be widely welcomed by nationalists.
“Although there will be understandable disappointment in South Belfast that they will not have a republican candidate.”
There’s no doubt that this move, clearly motivated as it is by the desire to protect the highly symbolic Fermanagh/South Tyrone seat, is a clever one. There is no doubt that there has been anger in Fermanagh/South Tyrone among many nationalists over the failure to make a pact against the unionist one. This move does a number of things. It put pressure on the SDLP to withdraw from Fermanagh/South Tyone – which was never going to happen. It does however say to SDLP supporters in Fermanagh/South Tyone that only PSF is putting the interests of nationalism as a whole above party interest, making it much easier for Alasdair McDonnell to keep South Belfast, and thus making it easier for SDLP voters to lend their vote to Michelle Gildernew in this election. And, if the unionists responded with a pact in South Belfast, it wasn’t their seat that was being lost there anyway, the SDLP would lose credibility as a rival, while they were more likely to keep Fermanagh/South Tyrone. So a win/win from their own point of view.
The importance of taking South Belfast to the DUP was made clear by their response to Maskey’s withdrawal, with a quite incredible offer made to the UUP if they would withdraw.
Later it emerged that the DUP’s Jimmy Spratt asked the UCU’s Paula Bradshaw to stand aside in South Belfast.
It is understood that Mr Spratt offered Ms Bradshaw his assembly seat if she would step aside in the general election.
It’s definitely a brave new world.
Woah!
‘offered her his assembly seat’… Bloody hell!
Quick on the draw there WBS! I was amazed when I read that myself. And someone should tell whoever writes BBC Newsline that the offer was made to the UUP, and not the UCUNF. The two groups are separate for assembly purposes, so definitely an offer to the UUP.
So I guess the question now becomes does she accept and then what happens in F/ST.
It’s really leading to a shakedown along the most obvious lines.
The BBC story has been updated, suggesting it’s been turned down.
“Responding to the move by Mr Spratt, Ms Bradshaw said it was “not my gift”. She said that she was staying in the race in line with the UUP’s agreement with the Tories.”
So, it’s case of “I’d like to, but her indoors won’t let me”.
Alliance’s candidate Anna Lo is less than impressed
“Meanwhile, Alliance South Belfast candidate Anna Lo has said that the move by Sinn Fein to withdraw their candidate “is despicable tribal politics”.
She said that “this development is similar to the sectarian headcount created because the UUP and DUP agreed to have a unionist unity candidate” in Fermanagh South Tyrone.”
So Sinn Fein have now become the driving force behind the idea of Pan-Taig candidates and they are so keen on the idea that they’ve unilaterally decided to back the SDLP candidate in a constituency where there isn’t (yet) a pan-Prod candidate. Evidently Northern Irish elections weren’t enough of a sectarian headcount for our “Republicans” so they decided to go that extra yard.
Just remember Mark. They did it first, so it’s not our fault we are behaving in a sectarian manner. Honest.
What would you have them do? Or more to the point, what would their supporters have them do?
Of course it’s a sectarian headcount, but it is, isn’t it?
It is, unfortunately. That’s not a bad question actually. Personally I’d love it if class based formations could gain some traction, or if more communitarian formations started to make serious efforts to reach out, but neither seems likely. So I guess the answer is, buckle up and get ready for the ride, wherever it takes us.
I’d have them fold up shop and go home, personally, along with all of the other sectarian parties but unfortunately I don’t get to make that decision.
The stunt they are pulling in South Belfast is not something they need to do. Nor is it something that they are doing as part of a deal with the party they are withdrawing in favour of. It doesn’t actually benefit them directly – it is however aimed at indirectly benefiting them by allowing them to present themselves as the most selfless/hardline advocates for Catholics against them’uns.
It is precisely as much of a sectarian act as the DUP/UUP lash up in Fermanagh/South Tyrone. And there’s nothing unfair about noting it and pointing it out.
Nothing unfair, no. But by the same token, there’s nothing unfair about pointing out that they’re a nationalist party, not an internatonal socialist party, and that their supporters might reasonably expect them to do what they can to see that a given seat falls into nationslit rather than unionist hands, because they would see that as representing their interests.
I mean it’s surely open to any principled international socialist who doesn’t agree with that way of proceeding to stand against them, or indeed to advocate that the electorate in the constituency vote for a different candidate. But they’re in a given business, which they may have good reason to think is a legitimate business given the nature of the North, and that may lead them to see things differently to you.
I don’t fundamentally disagree with you. They aren’t a socialist party, they are a nationalist party. Or more precisely, they are a communal party. By the lights of a communal party they are doing precisely what they should be doing and criticism from the likes of me is entirely beside the point.
ejh,
on the ball with that comment. If anyone wants to challenge the strategy do so electorally.
Its easy to paint with the sectarian brush but lets see these parties provide the alternative. There is only so much building an alternative that can be done before its time to show some results.
Good move by Sinn Fein. Certainly the DUP has been rattled by it.
SDLP looking more like thinking with their heart rather than their head in this election. Ritchie wont be happy tonight for 2 reasons i suspect.
If we’re all in agreement Sinn Fein is a nationalist, communalist party then how does that effect the idea that Sinn Fein are also a left party? Can you be a communalist party and a left party at the same time?
I’m surprised so few people on a left blog seem to have failed to ask themselves the question “Who benefits from a further sectarian polarisation at the election?”
Neil, an interesting question.
Who benefits from a further sectarian polarisation. Well I’d disagree right that it represents a polarisation at least from the natiinalist side (I would though say that) but what i am getting at is i think it offers the opportunity to desectarianise and build cross-commnity voters. If Michelle holds in FST and Alastair in sth belfast then there may come a point where certain voters in “themuns” might start to think that hang on a minute the sky is still there despite over a decade of green representation -whats all the fuss about.
secondly I’d like to comment that the left has been woefully useless in changing communal politics so I personally would rather try this route. Its a bit if you get to know me you’ll like me honest in its approach but i think it could work. The unionists could have done the same with fatal consequences for reunification except they left religion get in the way.
Nothing unfair about pointing it out at all.
Ejh’s point stands though – they were in a difficul situation, not of their own making, and had to respond…do you think they wouldnt have done this without the unionists actions in F&ST? of course not.
However if SF are going to act according to realpolitick motivations then they’re going to be hit by principled criticisms.
Cant see too many potential SF voters being outraged too much though. Maybe if they had initiated it, but not now.
Makes you wonder why SF make such a big deal out of abstentionism from Westminster, doesn’t it?. They don’t seem to think it’ll annoy their voters that the only candidate they’re left with in South Belfast is one who’ll go into Westminster and take the oath.
It’s also worth pointing out again that even with SF out of the race, there’s still a chance that McDonnell could lost his seat.
in SB the SF withdrawl results in a party that nominally wants reunification and to break the link with westminister. Its not about the oath itself but recognising the right of that parliament to have jurisdiction over part of this country. Even if it became the united Republic over there then the same position would hold, not from obduracy but because we reject their authority over us as unfounded and baseless. So sending the SDLP who supposedly argue for that breaking with London is hardly a leap when the alternate is a mp who would be all for that link.
Ramzi,
A valid point about real politik but would many nationalist voters worry too much as the majority would probably (caveat) regard it as rather silly to cede representation to either the DUP or the UUP who have no interest in representing them. Put another way maybe SF are just working to a higher voter principle – that your representative actually cares who you are and is interested in you.
Real politik says natinalists voters probably didnt see much to get excited in the DUP mainfesto certainly not the extra funding for orange order type stuff.
yeah – i agree. The criticisms are going to come from those who are involved in non-communally aligned parties, as well as the SDLP who have consistently opposed a pact (albeit with less to lose/gain than the shinners)….as well as hypocrites who just dont like SF.
I think part of the reason for the respons Ramzi is that Maskey and others in his party were very quick to describe moves to maximise unionist unity as sectarian. So this is absolutely realpolitik, it is absolutely in line with the interests of nationalism against unionism, but it does smack of hypocrisy on their own terms, never mind those who reject communal politics.
yeah i understand what you mean G. My point on the hypocricy is more geared towards those who have supported the F&DT action and who will then attack SF over SB.
Anyone notice Ritchie’s comments on Fianna Fail at the Labour conference- and her comments on public sector wage cuts? In my view it put her to the left of Adams.
Are Ritchie’s comments available on the Internet? (I can find a short press statement with a line about FF and nothing about the wage cuts.)
Footage of her address available here
http://roevalleysocialist.blogspot.com/2010/04/margaret-ritchies-address-to-irish.html
Also the text is here
http://www.labour.ie/press/listing/12715310793506652.html
How?
I suppose because she is moving away from FF and Adam’s and the Belfast boys in SF would still jump at the chance of coalition with them.
The gifting of the Assembly seat is a humdinger. Under the GFA the seat of a resigning MLA remains with the party, so Spratt’s replacement would be nominated by the party leader – Peter Robinson. Either this comes from the very top of the DUP or Jimmy’s been a bit presumptuous.
Or Spratt’s got his eyes on the crown. (I actually LOL’d as I read what I had written.)
“Asked on Evening Extra whether there would be no SDLP response to Sinn Fein’s decision to unilaterally withdraw Alec Maskey from the election in South Belfast, Alasdair McDonnell repled “I don’t know, you need to ask the SDLP”.
Right so! Does that mean we have another Lady Hermon here. Could well be the case he is of an age where he could give 2 fingers and do his own thing.
Or was it pique. A go and ask the leader comment ?
McDonnell owns so many houses in south Belfast that he should be elected on his tenant’s votes alone.
Statement from Ritchie. Tue 20th April
“Today’s announcement by Sinn Féin is nothing more than a cynical election stunt and sectarian gimmick motivated by selfish interests. They claim it is aimed at uniting nationalists but it is really about uniting unionists so that Alasdair McDonnell loses his seat.
“A few weeks ago one Sinn Féin representative called the selection of a single unionist candidate in Fermanagh South Tyrone ‘a grubby sectarian carve-up.’
“That representative was Alex Maskey – now he has somersaulted and is playing the same sectarian card.
“Sinn Féin’s decision today is designed to do two things – sectarianise the election in Fermanagh South Tyrone and ensure that Alasdair McDonnell – an excellent cross community MP – loses his seat.
“People only have to look at the recent election results to see that Sinn Féin’s small vote in the South Belfast constituency would make little difference to the election outcome. Maskey’s decision to resign is a stunt to push unionists toward a single candidate.
“Sinn Féin have offered nothing about jobs or the economy in this election. All they have done is attack the SDLP and try to drive people into the sectarian trenches.
“The SDLP will continue to offer the politics of the future. Alasdair McDonnell is the best candidate in South Belfast, just as Fearghal McKinney is the best candidate in Fermanagh South Tyrone. People should support them on that basis.”
margaret ritchies leadership looks exposed. id expect sf to run her close in south down.
Probably, but unionist tactical voting has to be taken into account in an area like South Down, not to mention Caitríona Ruane’s less than stellar record as Education Minister at Stormont.
Well, I doubt it was “Maskey’s decision”. This could only have been decided at the highest levels of the party. It offers the additional benefit of freeing up activists to go into FST and South Down, where they’re no doubt very badly needed.
I did think we were leaving a bit of a hostage to fortune with that statement about the unionist pact in FST.
““People only have to look at the recent election results to see that Sinn Féin’s small vote in the South Belfast constituency would make little difference to the election outcome” In 2005 the SDLP lead this constituency by a narrow margin of 3.9%. In the 2007 local elections the DUP’S Jimmy Sprat beat SDLP’s Alasdair Mcdonnell by an even narrower margin. Sinn Fein support (9%) could well prove instrumental. As we discussed on the F&ST post I agree with Mark P and Que’s comments here that for the SDLP to denounce these sort of pacts as sectarian (regardless of whether that is true or not) is hypocritical because they themselves are a nationalist party (that makes no effort to move towards or promoste civic-nationalism).
On an unrelated note about F&ST and abstentionism. Given that the most likely result of this upcoming election is a loose Lib-Lab coalition with a very slim majority I thought some of your visitors might be interesting in this documentary which shows how in 1979 such a coalition was brought down the abstentionism of Bobby Sands’ immediate predecessor Frank Maguire: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7972582.stm
The relevant bits are from 7:30 onwards on the second video and 5:00 onwards on the third video but to be honest i found the whole thing fascinating
The re
that should read “interested in” and the bit at the bottom is a typo
I see Conall McDevitt is claiming that this is a cunning Provo manoeuvre to help Spratt win the seat, but those nice non-sectarian folks in UCUNF have scuppered the ploy. Once we’re done with the facepalms, whose idea was it to put this bozo in Stormont?
[...] it’s mostly about the Save Michelle campaign in Fermanagh and South Tyrone, but as Garibaldy points out, it fulfils a number of functions at once. Not the least of which is related to next year’s [...]
[...] only nationalist seats in danger are those in Fermanagh/South Tyrone and South Belfast, which has raised the issue of electoral pacts once more. Although Gerry Kelly has been trying to [...]