Why I will be voting SDLP in this election

David Cameron is under a lot of pressure at the moment.  Understandably, he needs and wants all the seats he can get.  He has his own problem on how to burst the Lib Dem bubble.  I hope that he does well in the 649 seats that the Conservatives are contesting.

Meanwhile, back in the unrepresented constituency of Fermanagh and South Tyrone, yours truly is still smarting from the decision to support a sectarian deal. 

I have considered casting my vote for Mr. Rodney Connor.  I do not doubt that he will take the Conservative whip, if elected.  I also do not doubt what is said about him that he is a “genuine cross-community man”.  However, it was a matter for him that he accepted the nomination as a compromise candidate in the circumstances that he did.

He is an independent.  The fact is that there is no Conservative candidate in this constituency.  In this election, I am at liberty to state publicly who I intend to vote for.

It has not been easy for me to decide on how to prioritise my vote.  Voting for Mr. Connor does help the Conservative Party.  On the other hand, a vote for him is a vote of support for the sustenance of political sectarianism.

As long as I remain a conservative, I will not tolerate the endorsement of a sectarian carve up.  The Conservatives must never get involved in a similar deal again, in this constituency, or any other. 

I believe it is right that I give expression to my disapproval of what has happened in the ballot box.   Accordingly, I will not be voting for Mr. Connor.  Instead, my vote, in this election, will go to Fearghal McKinney of the SDLP.

Sinn Fein’s Conor Murphy in legal row over changes to Executive document

A dispute could now be decided in the Courts after Sinn Fein’s Minister for Regional Development, Mr. Conor Murphy, made alterations to an official executive document.  

It was reported in the Belfast Telegraph yesterday that Mr. Conor Murphy has made changes to the wording of Department for Regional development strategy blueprint for growth.  The motives for the changes are clearly based upon Republican Ideology.  References to “Northern Ireland” have been changed to “the North” whilst references to “Londonderry” have been changed to “Derry”  

The Londonderry/Derry name dispute is an old chestnut.  It is not necessary to go into detail here because the history of the dispute and the legal position are set out on Wikepedia. 

As the law stands, the City is called “Londonderry” even though the local council bears the shorter name “Derry”.  Personally, I don’t have any real preference for either name.  I would be happy to have the city re-named “New Derry” or any other name, if that helped both communities to move on.  

The change of the wording from “Northern Ireland” to “the North” is much more serious.  This particular alteration is likely to lead anybody reading the document to confuse “the North” with somewhere like Londonderry/Derry or some other place in the North of Northern Ireland.   Mr. Murphy may wish to reflect upon the likelihood that people from anywhere in the world could be reading the blueprint on the Department for Regional Development website.  

Mr. Murphy and Sinn Fein must accept the original text.  If they do not, then Mr. Robinson would be right to take the matter to Court.  Mr. Murphy could also find himself on the receiving end of sanctions for breaching the Ministerial code.  Once again, we are reminded of Sinn Fein’s propensity for ideology to become a barrier in the way of sensible decision-making.