The Unionist parties have selected a joint candidate for Fermanagh and South Tyrone, who will thus have the backing of the DUP, UUP and Conservatives. This is the first time that there has been a single Unionist candidate in the constituency since 1997.

The lucky candidate, Rodney Connor, used to be Chief Executive of Fermanagh Council. Recruiting public officials to Unionist politics has sometimes ended unhappily in this part of the world. Sitting MP Michelle Gildernew of Sinn Féin is also being challenged by former TV journalist Fearghal McKinney of the SDLP, and by former history teacher Vasundhara Kamble (originally from Mumbai) of the Alliance Party.

The UUP/Conservative alliance was supposed to deliver non-sectarian politics; not a lot of evidence of that in the implementation.