What does the election result tell us about Northern Ireland?
At an initial glance at the coloured-coded patchwork of results, you will see blue, red and yellow. If you look across to the smaller island you will see Northern Ireland. The colours change to green, brown and purple. The green dominates the south of the province and represents Sinn Fein (Irish Nationalists). There is a pocket or two of green in the North but the colours of the North are purple, brown, navy, light blue, not quite green nor yellow and black.
So who do these colours represent?
Purple represents Jim Allister and his party the Traditional Unionist Voice. Allister was previously of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP). He broke rank with it when they agreed to be part of a powersharing executive with Sinn Fein.
The big story here is that Allister won the North Antrim seat at the expense of Ian Paisley junior. Ian Paisley junior is the son of now-deceased Ian Paisley.
Brown represents the DUP. The DUP won East Londonderry, Gregory Campbell, East Antrim, Sammy Wilson, Strangford, Jim Shannon, Upper Bann, Carla Lockhart, and East Belfast, Gavin Robinson.
Navy represents the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) they gained a seat from the DUP in South Antrim, Robert Swann
Not quite green nor yellow represents the Alliance party who gained a seat from the DUP in Lagan Valley, Sorcha-Lucy Eastwood
This was Sir Jeffrey Donaldson's seat who is currently suspended from the DUP due to court proceedings.
Light Blue represents the Social Democratic Labour Party (SDLP) which held its seats in Belfast South & Mid Down, Claire Hanna and in Foyle, Colum Eastwood
Black represents North Down, Alex Easton an independent unionist won the seat creating a loss for the Alliance Party.
So Sinn Fein is now the biggest Northern Irish party at Westminster, retaining its 7 seats in West Tyrone, Órfhlaith Begley, South Down, Chris Hazzard, Belfast North, John Finucane, Belfast West Paul Maskey, Newry and Armagh Dáire Hughes, Mid- Ulster, Cathal Mallaghan and Fermanagh and South Tyrone Pat Cullen
Pat Cullen surprised some when she appeared as a Sinn Fein candidate having previously held the post of General Secretary at the Royal College of Nursing (RCN).
For those who look for a forecast as to whether there will be a united Ireland, the BBC states the nationalist vote increased from 40.1% to 40.4% whereas the unionist vote dipped from 43.2.% to 43.1%. Presumably, the missing 17% belong to the non-aligned Alliance Party.
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