SDLP walk the walk
Sir, Having read the Journal's front page headline (Tues, 9th June) that 'Sinn Féin claim win in Foyle' following the European Election results I thought I had woken up and found myself in the time-travelling TV series 'Life on Mars'.
However, I don't know which period of time in Derry I have woken up in.
Could I be in February 2006 when Martin McGuinness said the same thing and it didn't happen?
Could I be in April 2005 when Mitchel McLaughlin told the viewing public of Ireland they were looking at the next MP for Foyle (to be fair to Mitchel he was right because Mark Durkan was standing next to him at the time)
Or could I be in June 2004 when Sinn Fein peddled the same claptrap after the last European election?
What amazes me is that Martina Anderson would seem to make this bold prediction without any figures to back her statement up. Slightly more amazing, although hardly surprising, is that the Journal print this claim unchallenged.
Let us deal in hard cold facts. Sinn Fin did not outpoll the SDLP in Foyle. Who says so? Well, the SDLP for a start. I was there at the verification process and our tallies clearly indicate that the SDLP were clearly well ahead of Sinn Fein. Unofficial tally figures from the UUP and the DUP also have the SDLP at least a few thousand votes ahead.
These come from the people - SDLP, DUP and UUP - who actually bothered to turn up on Friday at the verification process and peer at facedown ballot papers for Number Ones.
The only counting Martina did was on Monday and that was how close she could get to her candidate's side when cameras appeared.
Once again Sinn Fin seems happy to talk the talk during elections. But in Foyle elections it is the SDLP who walk the walk.
SDLP Councillor Martin Reilly
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Thursday 09 February 2012
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