Monday 12 June 2017

DUP Try To Stop Gay Couples Getting Married In Scotland

A former Scottish government minister has claimed that the DUP formally asked him to restrict Northern Irish couples from having same-sex marriages in Scotland.

Ex-SNP minister Marco Biagi said that when the DUP was in the Stormont Executive he received an official letter from them, asking him to curtail access to the ceremony, which is not legal in Northern Ireland.

Mr Biagi, who is himself gay, was the SNP's Minister for Local Government and Community Empowerment from November 2014 to May last year.

He said he refused the request.

DUP leader Arlene Foster has previously insisted her party is not anti-gay, but supports the traditional view that marriage should only be between a man and a woman.

Tuesday 6 June 2017

Proxy Votes Increase

Polling station Fermanagh South Tyrone tops the table for both proxy and postal votes issued The latest Electoral Office statistics show a marked increase in the issue of proxy and postal votes for the Westminster election in Northern Ireland. 11,707 proxy votes have been issued - that is 1,787 up from the 9,920 proxies appointed for the March assembly election. 23,682 postal votes have been issued - up from the 19,670 sent out in March. Fermanagh South Tyrone tops the table for both proxy and postal votes issued. 1,707 proxy votes and 2,981 postal votes have been issued in the constituency. Other constituencies with high levels of applications include Mid Ulster and West Tyrone which are especially high for postal votes, and Newry and Armagh and Foyle which are high for proxy votes.