Do you like what you see, big boy?

What do Mike Nesbitt, Fearghal McKinney and a blonde draped across the bonnet of a car have in common? Quite a lot actually. The blonde in the advertisement for a 3.0 litre dream machine has nothing to do with engine efficiency or road-holding powers; she’s there to take your mind away from such things. The UUP have selected Nesbitt to contest Strangford and the SDLP will shortly select McKinney to contest Fermanagh/South Tyrone. Why? Certainly not because of their political experience - neither middle-aged man has ever worked in politics. Admittedly, they’ve both reported on politics here over the last twenty years, but my postman’s been delivering my bills for more than twenty years and he still knows nothing about finance. No, the selection of Neskinney is interesting only for what it tells you about the UUP and the SDLP, and how they view the voting public. The choice of Neskinney tells you that neither political party has faith in its policies. ‘If we put the focus on our party’s political roadmap, we’re finished. So let’s get a Personality up front, have the focus fall on them instead’. And what does the selection tells us about the UUP/SDLP’s view of the voting public? It’s obvious. They’re prepared to wager their party’s future on the belief that, faced with a car-buying choice, the public will ignore the limo and decide on the chassis quality of the blonde standing in front of it..