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LAST UPDATE | 13 Dec 2019
ALL OF THE North’s constituencies have declared their results – and for the first time there are now more nationalist and republican MPs than unionist MPs.
There are eight unionist MPs, nine nationalist MPs and one alliance MP.
Here’s how the breakdown looks:
Belfast East
The DUP’s Gavin Robinson, the party’s youngest MP, defeated Alliance Party leader Naomi Long. Robinson received 20,874 votes to Long’s 19,055.
Belfast North
Sinn Féin’s John Finucane unseated the DUP’s Nigel Dodds in a major election shock. Finucane defeated Dodds by 23,078 votes to 21,135 – a larger gap than expected.
Belfast South
The SDLP’s Claire Hanna defeated the DUP’s Emma Little Pengelly by 15,401 votes. The DUP took the seat with a 2,000-vote majority at the last election in 2017.
Belfast West
Sinn Féin’s Paul Maskey has been comfortably re-elected with nearly 21,000 votes.
East Antrim
The DUP’s Sammy Wilson was re-elected, defeating the Alliance Party by 6,000 votes. The Alliance’s Danny Donnelly received 10,165 votes.
East Derry
Gregory Campbell was re-elected in East Derry for the DUP with 9,607 votes – a small increase on 2017.
Fermanagh and South Tyrone
Sinn Féin’s Michelle Gildernew won in what was widely seen as a two-horse race between her and Tom Elliott of the Ulster Unionists. In total there were five candidates contesting the election in this area.
Foyle
SDLP leader Colum Eastwood won back Foyle for the party, defeating Sinn Féin’s Elisha McCallion by 17,110 votes – a huge increase on the party’s vote share in 2017.
Lagan Valley
The DUP’s Jeffrey Donaldson was re-elected in Lagan Valley, but on a lower share of the vote. He only defeated the Alliance’s Sorcha Eastwood by 6,500 votes, a drop from nearly 20,000 votes in 2017.
Mid Ulster
Francie Molloy has been re-elected to Mid Ulster for Sinn Féin with over 20,000 votes.
Newry and Armagh
Mickey Brady for Sinn Féin was re-elected, albeit with a decreased majority – he defeated the DUP’s William Irwin by over 9,000 votes.
North Antrim
The DUP’s Ian Paisley was re-elected, defeating the UUP’s Robin Swann by over 12,000 votes.
North Down
The Alliance Party’s Stephen Farry has been elected. He will replace independent unionist and Remain supporter Lady Sylvia Hermon, who stepped down unexpectedly before the election.
South Antrim
Paul Girvan retained his DUP seat, winning 15,000 votes. The UUP candidate received around 12,500 votes.
South Down
Sinn Féin’s Chris Hazzard has been re-elected with 16,137 votes. Hazzard defeated the SDLP candidate by 1,620 votes.
Strangford
The DUP’s Jim Shannon has retained his seat, albeit with a decreased majority compared to the 2017 election.
Upper Bann
Carla Lockhart has won in Upper Ban for the DUP. The party’s former MP David Simpson had announced he wouldn’t be contesting this election. She defeated Sinn Féin’s John O’Dowd by 8,210 votes – an increase on the party’s vote in 2017.
West Tyrone
Órfhlaith Begley has been re-elected for Sinn Féin. In the safe seat for the party, Begley received over 16,000 votes – her nearest rival, the DUP’s Thomas Buchanan, received 9,066 votes.
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Seperate them, allow them to do their own biding and not be controlled by Dublin. Is it that hard to understand?
They wouldn’t last a year without Dublin airport money
Its time to shut down these Taxpayer Moneypit White Elephants.
That mean Spruiker that the rsst of us should drive to Dublin for a flight?
O ‘Leary has repeatedly said drop the tourism tax and he would put aircraft back in cork and Shannon bases. Aer Lingus would also increase their services there. The money is always spent in Dublin, for everything. The west and south of the country is repeatedly neglected for all services. Then Leo acts surprised when they don’t turn a profit. He needs a kick up the hole this guy. Ranting and raving about things that HE should be, and could be, fixing!
I could only give this one thumbs up. Well said.
Boo hoo Dublin gets everything.
would they ever just do and stop talking about it?
Be lazy be happy:)
Shannon is a great airport. Carpark close to the terminal, little or no queues, no BS at security, few if any flight delays etc etc. Very stress free travel, plus the vital link to LHR. It also provide a vital business and air freight link for the west of Ireland. All it needs is to be serviced by a decent bus service from Galway/Limerick that actually COINCIDES with some flight times. Am getting really tired of Varadkar and his little tirades.
I agree, but it also needs planes to land there, I could count the planes that land there each day on one hand. No way on earth it can stay open without the subsidy.
if Shannon was turned into an international cargo hub it would soon become profitable but. the Western politicans are not happy with this as no votes in cargo … politicans and airport’s do not mix . SNN does not have the population to remain as a passenger airport and the idea that it would work if you put on a few extra buses is madness . If Snn became a major cargo hub for Europe it could be a serious jobs provider for the west
No passengers = no delays!
i think ciaro you seem to miss the one major factor in all this…… shannon and cork airport under the control of…. let me type this very slowly for you!…..DUBLIN airport authority….. how can they compete on a level playing field if dublin feathers their nests first and then throw the slops to snn and cork……we have a crazy system where the majority of tourists that come in to the country have to fly to the east cost first before they have to take a bus/train back to the west where the vast majority want to in fact go……
It’s not stress free for the poor unfortunate victims of US torture who passed thru on their way to hell on earth during extraordianry rendition. Or on the way back for US soldiers used as cannon fodder with limbs blown off and PTSD from US occupied countries because the country has lots of oil.
There is a diagnosis for lacking empathy.
Cork Airport is in fact profitable when the debt for the new terminal is taken out of the equation. This debt-free start was promised repeatedly by the previous government until the terminal opened with the airport then being handed the bill.
By that logic, Ireland is in fact profitable when the debt for the failed banks is taken out of the equation………….
not as easy as it sounds cork under the direction of the DAA and local.FF politicans went on a vanity run and spent 100 mill on. a large glass shed that was not needed . Cork airport when it was under the managment the late Barry Roche was the most profiable entity in the Aer Rianta group now due to this 100 mill spend is FU**** with a capital F and will collapse if shoved out on its own .
What needs to happen is for Shannon to become a humanitarian hub–not a US warport. Too bad the motion was shot down by a FF representative at a recent Galway meeting:
“humanitarian hub” give me a break! The fact that is used by the US is about the only thing that is keeping it open! When are people going to get over this neutrality bullshit and realise that Ireland has never been truly neutral and it is only a convenient way for successive Irish governments to avoid having to spend money on defence, that’s why Ireland depends on the RAF to defend it’s airspace and has a Navy that is only capable of being a fishery protection service with the odd bit of drug smuggling detection thrown in. Shannon needs all the help it can get and with the US winding down it’s commitment in both Iraq and Afghanistan those who run Shannon need to be thinking long term and finding new customers to replace the Americans who will eventually stop using it.
Once again Varadkar is talking utter s***e. Cork Airport was shafted and left to pick up the pieces. This situation would not have happened if they weren’t effectively lied to in the past. The Cork Airport management would not have been silly enough to threaten their own airports’ viability.
Smaller airports, such as Knock, Kerry and Waterford get PSO, Public Service Obligation subsidies from the government to help keep rural services afloat since they don’t have the attraction of the capital cities to draw in the tourists. if they withdraw the PSO subsidy, then the very least they need to do is increase public transport services infrastructure at these same locations to help the airports survive by themselves and give themselves a fighting chance to promote their areas. this holds true for cork and Shannon airports as well, since the public transport, at Shannon in particular is appalling ad unreliable.
All taxes should be spent where they are raised. If Kerry airport needs a subsidy let the good people of Kerry cough up.
Well Ciaro, that would be a great idea if it actually worked! Taxes used where they are raised? Your talking about local council taxes here surely? Not overall government taxes? Taxes are unevenly distributed, they always have been. If you disagree, then tell me, where is the tax money for the Luas service in Shannon, in cork, Waterford, knock or Kerry? do you think the good people of Dublin have coughed up and paid for the DART and LUAS ? NO! we all did! Every person paying taxes in Ireland paid for those things no matter where we live! We contribute as a nation, to the nation!
and just in relation to your above comments, ” Boo Hoo, Dublin Gets everything” ? Seriously? Did you feel good constructing such an intellectual sentence ? ok, let us drop down to your level for a moment, so we can converse. Do you know anything about the way this country is Run ? Public service obligations, keeping the nation as a whole running for the overal national health? Although, I guess your comment with Regard to Knock airport getting the money because Enda Kenny is a Mayo man shows how little you know about the system! Do you know how long money has been distributed to knock airport and other rural airports? or did did you actually think that this just started when Enda Kenny was put in Power? Or did you just think that you would get a lot of green thumbs up if you made a negative comment about Enda Kenny?
Why is knock airport getting taxpayers money? Anything to do with the fact that Enda kenny is a mayo man?
I distinctly remember ryanair saying they would buy the old terminal building. Would this not pay off some of that debt?
At the end of the day, all the govt need to keep control of is the actual infrastructure – tarmac and security.
I say, let ryanair have it for a tidy sum and watch it grow into a hub
na leaving it to ryanair would be putting all eggs in the one basket like shannon did,look what happened there,same will happen to knock when ryanair get fussy
Seamus Brennan made a public commitment to extinguish the Cork Airport debt on completion of the new terminal. However when Martin Cullen became Transport Minister he promptly reneged on this commitment, without explanation, and then, coincidently I’m sure, spent the same amount building a fabulous white elephant in his own constituency in Waterford which has been named “The Martin Cullen Bridge”.
The Gombeen of all Gombeens and the taxpayer and traveller will pick up the tab.
Give Shannon back to the people of Clare and Cork back to the Corkonians and watch them turn a profit
Let the DAA sort out the mess in Dublin and we will take care of our own airports
By people of Clare I presume you mean the proposal to have the county council be part of running it? If this happens it will collapse within a year, they dont have the expertise or knowledge to do so, and the councillors would make a complete balls of it interfering.
I’m not ryanairs biggest fan but I would prefer to see shannon run by Michael O Leary than Clare Coco any time!!
Shannons cost base and history of “jobs for the boys” is its single biggest problem, I spent several summers when I was a student working there and some of the wasteful and downright lazy work practices would make any rational person facepalm.
You are aware the building has been lying idle for the past 5 years? Why not at least rent it until it’s demolished in 2017? How is it putting all eggs in a basket to sell/rent an unused decrepit property?
I just dont want to see what happened to shannon happen in cork,i would just be cautious
That’s a bit of an old picture there, Malev went bus remember?
*bust
Karl,
A good few of those Malev’s including the 3 in this picture are still parked up in Shannon
have your say