Results give North’s politicians serious pause for thought

WHILE Westminster minds are focused on the formation of a new UK government, politicians in the North are today wondering if the election results could destabilise their own coalition administration.

Unionists awoke yesterday morning to the nightmare scenario that their vote continued to be splintered between multiple parties, while nationalists had consolidated the position of Sinn Féin.

If the pattern was repeated in next May’s Assembly election, republicans could emerge as the largest party and lay claim to the symbolically charged title of Northern Ireland First Minister.