06/05/2016 — The Week this Week

It’s been a busy day to be a politics junkie. Elections here, there, and minority government negotiations everywhere in between!

In England, Jeremy Corbyn’s labour has defied predictions and held the great bulk of its council seats. It also looks like they’ll be in government in Wales (albeit likely minority government — perhaps they’ll trade tips with Enda?)

In Scotland, however, the news is looking truly bleak for the chaps in red — they’re now the third largest party.

This is, frankly, amazing when you remember that a central consideration, when the devolved government in Scotland was being set up, was how to keep Labour from dominating the Parliament!

The SNP has simply presented a stronger narrative and moved into the electoral space once occupied by a complacent Labour.

Perhaps there’s a lesson in this for our parties. Sinn Féin and the DUP will soon, it’s expected, be announced as the two big winners in our Assembly elections.

Both parties’ votes were won on the basis that they would each staunchly defend their respective community’s rights. Arlene railed against the UUP’s “pushover unionism”, while the Sinn Féin platform was built around their fight to fulfil the promises of the 1916 Rising.

But how does that that narrative stand up when each is happily forming what is effectively a political partnership with the other — supposedly opposing — side?

There’s a space here for new political narrative. And, in Gerry Carroll’s thumping West Belfast win, I think we’ve seen the shoots of a new story starting to grow.

So I’m really excited to see what sort of stories emerge during the incoming mandate. Roll on the next five years!