Parsley's hopes evaporate

Sylvia Hermon 'has resigned from the Ulster Unionist Party and is to defend her North Down parliamentary seat as an independent candidate', according to the BBC.

Her own blog provides more substance:

"I have decided to resign from the Ulster Unionist Party with effect from midnight last night (Wednesday).

…

It is now my intention to stand my ground, fighting the forthcoming General Election as an independent and fighting to win."

With that one short announcement the hopes of the hopeless Ian Parsley have evaporated. And indeed, many of the hopes of the unfortunate UCUNF, who must now be wondering if they will win any seats at all.

For North Down, of course, the battle is not entirely over, but it is hard to see any outcome other than a convincing win by Hermon and a humiliating defeat for the opportunist Ian Parsley.

Hermon, a sitting MP, widow of Jack Hermon, has stood up to the pressure of her own party and the English Tories. She is locally popular and personally pleasant. She has, it seems, no obvious defects.

Parsley, a political carpet-bagger (with unfortunate dress sense), who pretended he was a liberal democrat in order to further his political career, only to turn against both the Liberal Democrats and his own party – Alliance – soon afterwards, did not even have the basic honour to resign the council seat he won entirely on the coat-trails of his Alliance Party colleague in 2005.

The intentions of the DUP in North Down are uncertain – they may abstain, just to ensure that UCUNF get stuffed. But even if they or the TUV stand the outcome should be in little doubt.

Parsley – the Tories only 'success' – will turn out to be a failure, and with him the whole UCUNF project should be flushed down the drain.