So who else predicted that the DUP and Sinn Fein would top the poll in the first round of votes in the snap Northern Ireland Assembly election? If you made a bet on it, and it is a pretty safe bet to make, you are probably richer than you were before last night. So well done. And what will the result be after those excruciating three weeks of negotiations? Another DUP-Sinn Fein administration. This is just Business As Usual in northern ireland.
Failure to break ground
Northern Ireland's largest unionist and nationalist parties still dominate the country's politics after the UUP's and the SDLP's disastrous handling of devolution in the late 90s and early 00s.
It is hardly surprising they failed to gain any significant ground this year. And the moderate parties failed to break the mold.
It is disappointing that Northern Ireland's voters cannot break generations of voting habits. If one thought that this surprise election would solve the last administration's problems, then they should think again. There is no doubt that the new administration will witness similar problems to the last. After all, that is what happens when two parties remain in power for a long period of time.
No change
So in three weeks' time, don't get excited about change in Northern Ireland. It isn't happening.
