We had people all over voting Alliance – many for the first time

We had people all over voting Alliance – many for the first time

8 March 2017

WHILE Sinn Fein grabbed the main headlines for the party’s performance in South Down, Alliance’s Patrick Brown was making some of his own.

For the second time in successive Assembly elections, he substantially increased the party vote. Last May, Brown polled 2,200 votes but last week he produced another stunning performance, more than doubling his performance of nine months ago, racking up 4,535 first preference votes.

At one stage, the Alliance candidate was just a few hundred votes behind the SDLP’s Colin McGrath, who subsequently went on to clinch the fifth and final seat. A delighted Mr Brown, viewed by many as one of his party’s rising stars, put his success down to a number of factors, including a young vote which helped bolster his party’s core support across the constituency.

Not surprisingly, Mr Brown polled extremely well in his home area of Crossgar, with other significant first preferences in the Newcastle area and an impressive performance in Warrenpoint. While disappointed not to secure a seat, he was delighted with not only his, but Alliance’s performance across Northern Ireland.

“I am not surprised by my result as we were getting a tremendous response on the doorstep,” he said. “I substantially increased the vote again as a result of inter-generational support across the constituency. We had people from all over voting Alliance, many of them for the first time. The vibes going into the election were good given the fantastic response we were getting on the doorstep.

“I knew we were going to increase the vote significantly and to double our 2016 performance was a tall order but we did it. We increased our vote while other moderate parties did not which is testament to our clear message and what we offer as across-community party. 

“Perhaps other moderates are stuck in a schizophrenic state of should they compete with Sinn Fein or DUP or compete with us in the centre ground. You vote Alliance you get Alliance,” he declared.

Mr Brown said Alliance wants to see Northern Ireland work and a consensus formed after the election. He said the party wants devolution to work and wants a working Executive for the people of Northern Ireland.

“Given our performance at the last local council, Westminster and Assembly elections, Alliance is on the march in South Down. This has always been an Alliance constituency, we just have not had the people on the ground to go out and prove that. People have been crying out for an alternative for years and there is increasing momentum for our party which provides us with confidence. It has been a really good election for us and a reward for a lot of hard work by many people.”

Mr Brown described the election count as an “emotional roller coaster” and revealed he was pleased to concede to the SDLP’s Colin McGrath late on Friday evening.

He added: “We had a good tussle right to the end and I know Colin will do a fantastic job representing us at Stormont.”