Can someone explain this election that’s going on now?

5 comments

1. There are local elections or those to the devolved administrations every year. Not everywhere will have them every year, in fact those up for re-election usually were last elected four years ago.

   Even with the centralisation of much of government in the UK, who provides local services can vary according to who is chosen, and some local authorities have budgets per year that are hundreds of millions. Responsibilities can include social services, bin collection, managing the roads, for example.

   Sinn Fein being the largest party is significant in Northern Ireland as never before in 101 years has a party that wants the whole of Ireland to be one country come top in an election within Northern Ireland. Up until now it has been a party which wants Northern Ireland to be within the United Kingdom.

2. That’s Northern Ireland. And it is to determine who sits at a local government level to decide on the day to day running of N Ireland. And Sinn Fein winning is the first time a Nationalist Party have ever had the most seats since Devolution began which was 24 years ago.

3. You will see a lot of media attention on SF thinking this is the breakup of the U.K. Considering the DUP will take the office of deputy first minister, and that you need both offices to agree on any action, it isn’t.

4. The elections in NI where Sinn Fein is now the largest party is for the devolved assembly which should, when it’s working, basically run NI, as was the plan in the Good Friday Agreement.

   It’s different from the local council elections which have been happening in some areas of England, that’s just for your local council who run local services like bin collections etc.

   Can I hijack this to ask what is the red wall and the blue wall and why are they such a big deal? I lived abroad for a while and haven’t properly kept up with U.K. politics.

5. >What’s the importance of it? How does it differ to a general election? How often does it happen?

   A general election is an election to elect the MPs who sit in Parliament and, indirectly, to choose the Prime Minister of the Country.

   This week’s elections were elections to local councils, some Mayors and some of the devolved administrations (like the Northern Irish Assembly).

   Those bodies have less power than the national government of the UK does.

   However, a lot of people vote in these elections based on their perception of the parties nationally, so even though technically when voters in some town elect more Labour councillors and fewer Conservative ones it only really impacts that town, it’s seen as a sign of what’s happening to the parties nationally anyway – the Tories having lost seats is a poor reflection on Boris etc.

   Most political positions in the UK are 4 year terms but they don’t all work on the same cycle as each other so typically every year there are at least some councillors being elected somewhere in the country to one of the many local authorities, as well as some Mayors.

   >Bonus question, what is Sin Fein and why is them winning such a big?

   Sinn Fein is a republican party in Northern Ireland – one that wants Northern Ireland to cease being part of the UK and become part of Ireland. It’s now the largest party there. That’s a big deal because of the symbolism, mainly. It doesn’t mean NI will be part of Ireland next week. But it’s a sign of the trend of how things are going there.