The student who pulled off poll shock

The student who pulled off poll shock

28 May 2014

THE Downpatrick student, who caused the biggest shock in the local council elections, has returned home having missed the entire campaign.

Twenty year-old Patrick Brown was elected in the Rowallane area for Alliance on Friday evening despite being in Sheffield studying for a Masters degree in Politics.

No-one, including Brown himself, expected him to win but a sudden late surge of transferred votes from Sinn Fein to Alliance swept the student past sitting councillor Walter Lyons to take the final seat.

The election of the first Alliance councillor for Rowallane for over 40 years, was one of a number of shock results in the elections to the new Newry, Mourne and Down super council.

Sinn Fein lost a seat in Downpatrick when veteran councillor Eamonn Mac Con Midhe was unexpectedly pipped at the post by independent, Cadogan Enright.

And in the new Slieve Croob electoral area, Alliance councillor Patrick Clarke confounded the pundits by coming from behind to defeat sitting Ulster Unionist councillor Dessie Patterson.

The count took place over two long days in Newry and when the final ballot had been counted, Sinn Fein and the SDLP had each secured 14 seats. Republicans were bitterly disappointed with the result in an council in which they had been expected to win 16 seats.

But it was the election of Brown  which was the biggest surprise of the election, confounding everyone.

The Alliance man did not canvass, put up one election poster or knock a single door in the run up to last week's poll as he was completing a dissertation at Sheffield University.

But he insists the election of an Alliance candidate in Rowallane provides "real evidence of the desire for change in the new council." He said he's "honoured and excited" to represent local people and will work hard to ensure his election benefits them.

Brown failed to secure a seat in Rowallane three years ago and had not planned to stand again, only to be persuaded to do so by his party  leader David Ford.

"Did I think I would be elected? Absolutely not. I want to be as honest as possible and say I thought there was no way that would happen as I hadn't campaigned," Mr. Brown revealed.

He continued: "Everything is still a bit surreal, but the fact I have been elected is starting to sink in bit by bit. The new council will be very different and I like the idea of a challenge. That will make it exciting for me. 

Mr. Brown added: "I will not be an absentee councillor and am here for the party. I have a duty to the electorate to fulfil my job to the best possible standard. I also see myself active on the ground showing people how local politics works and want to get them enthused about that."