Derry responds with quiet satisfaction
By Martha McClelland
It was the quietest count anyone could recall in Derry's
Guildhall.
The usual buzz with its tension and adrenaline was strangely
absent. Long hours of deadly boredom somehow passed as box after
box was tipped out and counted. A row of discarded white plastic
cups lined the edge of the stage, forlorn as failed candidates.
Little groups of SDLP wives sat together against the walls, while
the men conferred together on the floor. Republicans with
calculators and sharp minds kept a running tally, analysing
current and previous performances.
The 4pm news revealed that Derry was the last centre in the North
still counting first preference votes. A mike set up on the
caused shortlived excitement then disappointment as the count
went on and on. Finally, 4:20pm, and the results.
Hume was elected on the first count. No surprise there. But his
vote stunned him. Earlier, Hume had said he expected to get three
quotas. No wonder the desperate disappointment on his face at
12,581 votes - less than two quotas, and a far cry from the
21,000 predicted. At the pinnacle of his career, delivering the
Peace, he'd expected more...
As the SDLP went down to celebrate their victory before the
press, Sinn Féin ranks were subdued until people began to look at
the actual figures.
SF's percentage of the nationalist vote continues to close the
gap with the SDLP. Despite the size of SDLP first preference
votes, it depended on Hume. There was a gap of over 8,000 votes
between Hume's huge personal vote and their next highest
candidate, Mark Durkan. The SDLP were revealed to be a one-person
party.
Mitchel McLaughlin's vote came in ahead of three former Mayors.
Mary Nelis, a new councillor last year, beat former Mayor Annie
Courtney on first preference votes, then Courtney was eliminated
and Mary Nelis elected. As the implications of our result dawned
on Republicans, a quiet satisfaction spread. If the atmosphere in
the Guildhall was different from some of the manic celebrations
of previous counts, as more seasoned political campaigners
Republicans recognised that our results profoundly shook the
opposition.
![[An Phoblacht]](http://republican-news.org/graphics/title_gifs/aprn.gif)