Sinn Fein stands down in three seats to help remainers, including the unionist Sylvia Hermon

[muriel_volestrangler]

Sinn Fein has announced it will not stand in three constituencies in Northern Ireland in a bid to prevent DUP MPs winning the seats. The party will stand aside in South Belfast, East Belfast and North Down. As the Press Association reports, Sinn Fein president Mary Lou McDonald urged supporters to instead back the SDLP, the Alliance party and independent unionist Lady Sylvia Hermon respectively in those three seats.

Announcing the move, McDonald said:

In many ways this is a once-in-a-generation election, the stakes are very high in this election. People have a fundamental choice to make - to vote for a positive, inclusive future or to turn their backs on that and to back candidates who have been the architects of Brexit and who have acted very, very deliberately against the democratic wishes of people here in the north and more fundamentally against the economic and social interests of citizens who live here.

You can call this a pact, you can call it what you wish - the reality is we are asking people to come out and vote for those pro-Remain candidates. We believe that is the right and progressive thing to do.

What is novel, and striking, about today’s announcement is the plan for Sinn Fein to stand aside to help Lady Sylvia Hermon. Hermon now sits as an independent, but she is a unionist, she was first elected to parliament as an Ulster Unionist party MP and she is the widow of Sir Jack Hermon, a former chief constable of the RUC.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2019/nov/04/general-election-news-latest-health-chief-urge-parties-not-to-use-nhs-as-political-weapon-live-news?page=with:block-5dc0227b8f08cb84c60a45a4#block-5dc0227b8f08cb84c60a45a4

That is remarkable.

Belfast South 2017 result: DUP 30.4%, SDLP 25.9%, Alliance 18.2%, Sinn Fein 16.3% (had been SDLP until 2017)
Belfast East 2017: DUP 55.8%, Alliance 36.0%, UUP 3.3%, Sinn Fein 2.1%, SDLP) 0.4% (mainly DUP, but was Alliance 2010-15)
North Down 2017: Hermon 41.1%, DUP 38% ... Sinn Fein 1.4%, SDLP 1%

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belfast_South_%28UK_Parliament_constituency%29#Elections_in_the_2010s
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belfast_East_%28UK_Parliament_constituency%29#Elections_in_the_2010s
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Down_%28UK_Parliament_constituency%29#Elections_in_the_2010s

So the difference could be big in Belfast South (and Sinn Fein voters will find it easiest to switch to SDLP). It's more symbolic in the other 2, but other parties are doing the same against the DUP:

It comes after the UUP and SDLP pulled out of the contest for North Belfast pitting Sinn Fein's John Finucane against DUP deputy leader Nigel Dodds. The SDLP is also not running in North Down or East Belfast.

SDLP deputy leader Nichola Mallon said the party's move was not part of a pact saying they took the decision "unilaterally".

https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/politics/general-election-2019/general-election-sinn-fein-pulls-out-of-three-constituencies-in-race-for-westminster-seats-38658661.html

Belfast North 2017: DUP 46.2%, Sinn Fein 41.7%, Alliance 5.4%, SDLP 4.5% (last time UUP stood in it was 2005, when they got 7.7%)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belfast_North_%28UK_Parliament_constituency%29#Elections_in_the_2010s

So, a lot of tactical non-standing going on in Northern Ireland. Perhaps notable that NI uses proportional representation in some elections.

[Soph0571]

1. Sinn Fein just got a headline for North Down... will have no impact on the outcome. Lady Herman is

safe. I was listening to BBS Ulster today on this. A lot of tactical voting going on. However apart from North Down it only goes so far... it is not just about Brexit. Still split on the lines of the Constitution also...

[mopinko]

2. i so hope they revote. i think it would shock the world.

this was pootie's trial run.
shine a light on that shit.