Brian Wilson of the Green Party elected in Northern Ireland
I got to the Newtownards count centre by train and bus yesterday. When I got there I congratulated Brian Wilson, but he wisely suggested that it might be premature to forecast victory. Well, today it happened. And he didn’t just sneak in for the sixth seat as had been predicted by the pundits. No, Brian got the fourth seat in North Down - an excellent performance.
Now comes the hard bit. There’ll be plenty of wheeling and dealing, plenty of juicy offers and he needs to be wary. It was a combination of his perceived independence, his environmental credentials, and his excellent track record that got him elected. If he plays his cards right he can build on that and Greens in Northern Ireland will go from strength to strength. A special word of thanks to Cadogan Enright. What an organiser. I don’t think I’ve seen a better postering campaign any place. Cadogan has big plans for the Greens in the North, and at this stage who can doubt him. They are now the sixth party in the province. What an achievement in such a short space of time. And what a platform for their colleagues in the south. I’m looking forward to Brian Wilson MLA campaigning down here in May.