Last night, I sent a message to Bill White, the main man at Lucid Talk about the upcoming, East Belfast hustings. My message.
Bill has now replied. Judge for yourself. The reply is along the lines that Alan Meban used to justify the Hustings.
I think the main points are that…..
1 This is a Slugger O’Toole event.
2 It complies with Electoral Law.
3 The Formula used to arrive at the head-to-head.
4 The audience will be “informed” about the other candidates and parties contesting the election in East Belfast.
5 The same procedure has been followed with regard to the UK (sic) TV Debates which exclude DUP.
6 I asked whether Gerry Lynch was still a consultant at Lucid Talk. I got no answer to that.
A couple of other points.
Alan Meban used the same links yesterday. But further described the Hustings as “legal” and “decent”.
And Mick Fealty in a Facebook exchange with me today praised the hard work of David McCann setting this up.
Keeping An Eye On the Czar of Russia 
I am surprised he needs to use the UK TV debates, which included Greens and excluded DUP and SDLP even though they have more seats. I don’t see it as a comparable position at all and that was widely accepted to be a bit of a mess too!
I am more intrigued by the method of “informing” the audience.
It sounds a bit like those previews of bye elections where the Report goes into depth with the main three parties and then invites the viewer to look at a list of fourteen other candidates including the Monster Raving Looneys and assorted Independents.
True to form, Slugger has now rated an Alliance-made YouTube video (Alliance don’t have a Party Broadcast out yet on actual TV as they are a small party) ahead of the SDLP’s actual broadcast.
They describe the SDLP’s broadcast as “tribally infected” and praise the Alliance efforts.
Yes. I saw that. Mick described the SDLP as “”relatively non sectarian”. Itwould be nice if on just one occasion, Slugger said “SDLP did well” and said it without the mealy mouthed qualoficiations.
John,
I feel I need to record my support for your comments on this issue. This sort of behaviour is a form of media gerrymandering which is to be roundly condemned. Much as I value slugger I feel that this is an unacceptable move. I suspect Mick is not the primary mover in this. Rather some of his leading colleagues are attempting a clear agenda to promote Alliance and Naomi Long. That their strategy is so utterly unsubtle and that they are so annoyed when called on it speaks to a much lower level of political skill and talent than they would like to think they have.
I really do appreciate this comment.
I first used the term “LetsGetAlongerism” on Slugger in early 2010 and to alarge extent this Blog exists as a place where I can say the things I cant say on Slugger. A certain responsibility comes with “readership”.
The Alliance Party has a sense of “entitlement” …two Departments in the Executive and a “hustings” which favours them and seemingly an attack of “principle” in Fermanagh-South Tyrone where they demand equal air time on “The View”.
I appreciate the fact that Mick is earning a living and I like to pay tribute to Slugger “at its best” and criticise when its “at its worst”.
While Slugger O’Toole demands transparency, it is less than transparent itself and like you I would have suspected that Mick is not the prime mover. Indeed to his credit, he is rarely the prime mover when Slugger is “at its worst”.
Just who the “core” Slugger team is…I dont know..
I am not sure that it is the names we see like Pete Baker (Sheldon Cooper) or more likely Brian Dimbleby-Walker.
joining the dots behind the Slugger facade has eluded me for years.
But it certainly “protects” some favourites such as Andy Pollak, thankfully no longer published and “Mr Ulster” another LetsGetALongerist, Patrick “Je Suis” Corrigan, and “Its Quaker Money! Its Chocolate Money” Man.
And in addition to these people, there is the favouritism shown to prominent or occasional members of the Alliance Party.
I am of course a member of SDLP (1973-1982) and (2011 et seq). But I dont think I am in conspiracy theory territory when I say that Slugger is well aware that the “managed decline” narrative of SDLP is a pre-requisite to Alliance feasting on the bones.
Slugger happily contributes to that.
Praise for SDLP is muted and grudging.
but Slugger in defensive mode…as in the case of East Belfast hustings….is a strange thing.
Alan Meban asserts here that the Slugger decision is “legal” and “decent”.The latter word is an odd choice.
In exchanges with me on Facebook, Mick is bullish and unapologetic.
The hustings, he claims is a consequence of hard work and he singles out David McCann as the leading player in this.
I am not sure if Mick means it as praise or if it is a case of blaming McCann.
Doctor McCann …I am afraid…appears naive …and has a curious “autograph hunter” approach to his “McCann meets….” Interviews.
It is, at times…amusing.
There might be two theories here. McCann has orchestrated this. McCann has been stitched up by Alliance and the Golden Halo of LetsGetALongerism.
thanks again for this much appreciated comment and good luck with any campaign you find yourself in, over the next few weeks.