I missed some of the election fun and games.unfortunately .I’d been watching television throughout the afternoon as the votes were counted and the panel of politicians and pundits squabbled.Things were getting very interesting but I’d previously arranged to be in Belfast for the latter part of the day attending a gig at the excellent Nashville/Belfast 13th Songwriters’ Festival so I had to prematurely tear myself away from the ongoing drama and buzz of the television . It was raining hard as we barrelled down the motorway .As we supped pints of ale and the ladies sipped Tanquerey and Tonic, it was only the background television running with sub-titles that continued to tell the soundless story of the election on the day after the Green Nationalist Crocodiles awoke from their slumber to make their voices finally heard .Were these the new generation of youngsters finally getting their voting shoes on for the first time?
Ulster Unionist TV Mike Nesbitt ‘s demise was relayed against the hubbub of conversation in the bar.The man had tried a different approach but it was never going to pay off in a unionist community which had been scared near to death by the proposed “republican radical agenda” of “Bogeyman Adams” , that had been threatened. Most people around us were actually uninterested in the images flashing by in the background .Political careers were ending among the clattering of tableware, the rustle of paper napkins and the chink of beer-glasses on the table-tops. The young women chattering behind me seemed more interested in other things. such as the two young ,good -looking bearded Italian nurses from the “Royal”whom we’d engaged in conversation.Some others were surveying the bar-food menu to see what might sate their hunger…”Chicken breast cooked in buttermilk… what about a bar snack of some chicken -fries and goujons maybe…?”
I craned my neck to see TV Mike Nesbitt filmed like a lonely , lost soul in some car-park in a rugby jacket and then there was the TUV leader, Jim Allister who appeared to have lost his usual ascerbic sense of humour with steam pouring out of his ears ,as though experiencing an apoplectic seizure of some sort .I could only strain to read a few of his words between mouthfulls of stinging ale ;some of these ales were tasty alright ;all of this playing in the background as some absurd silent film with sub-titles.As notes and tweets flashed by on screen , most too quickly to read ,the owlish ,Bunterish, Nelson McCausland appeared to have lost his position, as did Alex Atwood. These old familiar faces were about to be culled from the political herd. Danny Kennedy and Jo-Anne Dobson fell too and Emma Pengelly. Sadly I could not enjoy some of the more emotive sound-bites . I didn’t see Edwin Poots’ apparent breakdown at the news of Sinn Fein’s resurgence ; there was talk of Mr”Lord” Morrow dropping too and Arlene Foster seemed nowhere to be seen anywhere.The talk was that she and elements of her party were huffing with the BBC for not consistently basting their posteriors enough with bon mots and were keeping away from any microphones . Arlene had been huffing for weeks anyway and was obviously now on a short leash, lest she make a bad situation even worse.Gerry Adams appeared suddenly to collect his identity lanyard and hug Sinn Fein supporters and was eventually corralled to make a interview in which he quietly discussed just why the previous First Minister had brought this result down on her head and what she might need to do to allow the DUP to take up offices again..It was obvious that she had called it wrong and many had actually wanted and voted for her feared “radical republican agenda” after all. Well …if that’s what an equal proportion of the public wanted …what next?
She’d very obviously awakened an awful lot of green ,nationalist crocodiles from their slumber by her antics in the previous year.
Meanwhile we were off into the rain again to enjoy an evening with some old friends , one of whom I hadn’t seen in some forty years ,in the company of the very talented Grammy -nominated singer, songwriter and guitarist Darrel Scott.
He didn’t dissappoint either.What a day!!
Did anyone say the discraceful comments made by finnoula O’Connor regarding SF late on Friday night.She also cowardly made them when there was no SF rep on the panel at the time.
i’d like to see a clip of that myself if anyone has it michael. I can’t tell you what the comments made by Finnouala O’connor were but I can tell you that the young ladies in the bar ogling the two good-looking young italian male nurses had n’t got a chance because up-close, the two lads were very obviously gay and in a relationship!
I watched that. It was unedifying, to say the least. O’Connor appeared to become more unstable as the night wore on, acting like the oul boy at the end of the bar, spouting offensive rubbish but going unchallenged because nobody wants to get involved. I think she overstepped the mark quite a few times during that programme. I wonder if she would have said SF were “Hard to like” if Catriona had been still there? Her comments about “Clean Skins” and not being able to use certain words in reference to SF were the sort of thing you might have expected from a Sunday World reporter twenty years ago.
A SF victory obviously does not go down well in the more affluent parts of South Belfast.
O Connor acted like a slapped arse, also betrayed her intellectual snobbery…..in effect saying there’s something wrong with you if you don’t agree with me….I thought much of what she said needed a challenge and was disappointed but not surprised that no challenge was forthcoming. The point about no SF reps was noted by myself at the time. There has been an interesting difference in how ITN and SKY etc are reporting this, Brexit, Scottish Nationalism and the rise of Irish Republicanism all connected in latest reports.
I was at the Belfast Nashville festival myself in the Clayton hotel on Saturday night Harry, seeing a girl called Kaz Hawkins and her band.
What a voice and what a entertainer. Big round of applause to the organisers they done a first rate job.
It’s a great festival Scott which is run by a group of some very old friends and acquaintances from way back. The Friday night gig was amazing too…long may it run .