The days are now reaching their very longest, with the first of daylight now before 5am and the last of it after 9pm.
I often associate such times with elections because of that strange and atmospheric feeling of emerging from a very late count into daylight.
The council elections are not held overnight and yet it was almost midnight when I emerge from the Ards and North Down count in Bangor last night.
The UUP and SDLP seem again to have been squeezed, causing this young member of the former to decide his party has no future but in my own analysis I contest the notion that they are both finished
Incidentally Michael Palmer is openly gay as is Alison Bennington of the DUP who was re-elected to cheers. If this surprises anyone they haven't been following the cultural shift that has swept unionist populations as much as every other part of the traditionally Christian world
This week I was pleased and fascinated to publish an analysis of Alliance transfers by the veteran QUB number cruncher Sydney Elliott that suggests their vote is now notably more nationalist inclined than unionist
Meanwhile, the BBC with its large staffing was not around to cover the election for Northern Ireland yesterday or indeed provide non election programming
Finally is a lot of interest in this daily train summer service between Belfast and Portrush. As a kid who loved Barry's and trains, I can see the appeal of such a timetable
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