Unionist transfers to Smith pip Boyle

Unionist transfers to Smith pip Boyle

11 May 2016

IT’S almost a case of as you were in Strangford with six MLAs elected along the same party lines as five years ago.

Three DUP, two UUP, and one Alliance representative once again make their way to Stormont for this constituency, with hopes for the area’s first nationalist MLA once again dashed in a last-minute defeat of popular Portaferry SDLP councillor Joe Boyle.

But there were a couple of surprises along the way.

Ulster Unionist Party leader Mike Nesbitt was an unexpected poll topper with 4,673 first preference votes and was elected at the first stage along with last year’s top scorer, the DUP’s Michelle McIlveen, who this time hit the 4,663 quota on the nose.

Personal celebrations for a somewhat stunned Mr Nesbitt were, however, brief. His attentions quickly turned to his running mate Philip Smith and whether or not there were enough votes left for him to retain the UUP’s second seat — a seat that more than one party had their eye on.

It was the UUP’s David McNarry who had denied Joe Boyle the sixth seat on the last occasion. But a year later in 2012 he had defected to UKIP. 

Mr McNarry wasn’t running on this occasion so the sixth and final seat was once again up for grabs. Aside from the possibility of the UUP retaking it, there was a real chance of the SDLP’s Joe Boyle coming good on his fourth attempt at an Assembly seat as well as the DUP having an outside chance of a fourth MLA.

The rumours were that Boyle had finally clinched it up until the last hour of counting at the Bangor Aurora Centre, but it was unionist transfers that would eventually seal his fate. 

The DUP’s Jonathan Bell and Simon Hamilton were the third and fourth MLAs elected later in the evening and their transfers certainly helped the UUP’s Philip Smith. However, it was 772 transfers votes from independent candidate Jimmy Menagh, who wasn’t eliminated until stage eight of ten, that was the surprise. The rumour was that Mr Menagh’s voters would be mostly voting for him and him alone.

Just ahead of Philip Smith’s eventual tally of 3,957 was the Alliance Party’s Kellie Armstrong who had an eventual tally of 4,662.

Ms Armstrong, who replaced Alliance veteran Kieran McCarthy on Ards Council in 2013, is a relatively new face. Elected fifth, she didn’t match Mr McCarthy’s second place in 2011 but had a decent 3,499 first preference votes compared to McCarthy’s 4,284 first preference votes back in 2011.

Of the 65,695 eligible electorate for Strangford, a total of 33,014 votes were cast, of which 32,639 were valid. The turnout of 50.25 per cent is an increase from 2011’s 48.55 per cent turnout.