SDLP canvass

Lisburn in the rain is not a cheery place although the SDLP canvass was an upbeat affair. Mark Durkan and Carmel Hannan came out onto the streets in a bid to retain Patricia Lewseley's assembly seat for Marrietta Farrell. Reaction in the market ranged from friendly to surly but the talk was about the recent confrontation at the fish stall between Ian Paisley and Bob McCarney. For once Paisley had nothing to say to McCartney's question " When did Never, Never, Never become Yes, Yes, Yes?"

By comparison, Southern politics is positively cosy. When we meet our opponents on a canvass we tend to fall on each others necks. The only exception to that rule when the candidates are both standing in the same constitunecy for Fianna Fail. Then they don't talk to each other. They snarl.