BY MARK MCKELVEY AND ADRIAN MULLAN

It takes a certain type of political cock-up to poll enough votes to get elected and yet still not get elected.

That's exactly what happened to the SDLP in West Tyrone last week.

Between the three candidates there was a clear quota (5923) for the return of one candidate, and yet none was elected.

The SDLP will no doubt be holding its own post mortem but from the outside looking in this was no mere bad vote management - this was sabotage.

Following the failure of Dr Josephine Deehan to get elected, senior SDLP people in Omagh were keeping a dignified if seething silence as to what had happened - but an analysis of the votes showed that hundreds of Eugene McMenamin supporters in Strabane voted McMenamin 1, and did not transfer to any of the other two SDLP candidates, Seamus Shields or Josephine Deehan.

Polling just over 1,000 votes the matter was academic for Seamus Shields but when it came to deciding the last seat, McMenamin's transfers should have taken Jo Deehan home but there were so many 'plumpers' that in fact what should in the end have been a comfortable , if close win, resulted in defeat.

The big question is why? There are those who will say that Dr Kieran Deeny stole the March on the SDLP by vigorously campaigning in Sion Mills on the Health centre issue in the weeks before the poll and that did, indeed, produce support for Deeny.

However, irrespective of that surge the SDLP still had enough votes with which to take the seat but they were non transferable.

Clearly this issue was decided following decision of the West Tyrone constituency association two run only two candidates, Deehan and Shields.

That de-selection of Eugene McMenamin, rankled with the Strabane contingent, and when Eugene McMenamin had to be imposed by party headquarters, who no doubt expected him to field as an independent otherwise, the battle lines were drawn.

This was not a case of vote mismanagement, it wasn't even a case of vote wandering (which would possibly have registered as votes for Dr Deeny), this was simply Strabane -v- Omagh - bad feeling as expressed by some 500 plumpers in the Strabane area.

The SDLP as a political party has had its problems in recent years, but when the single transferable vote stops dead at number one a distinctly fishy product hoves into view.

The SDLP in Fermanagh South Tyrone had no such difficulties as rumours circulated that Tommy Gallagher may struggle to meet the quota to be re-elected, the party showed excellent vote management allowing him to retain his seat with ease.

At stage seven of the count he still needed 1,865 votes to meet the quota. With his SDLP running mate Vincent Currie the next to be eliminated, he received almost 90% of the transferable vote.

Speaking following his return, Mr Gallagher said, "I am glad to have got over the quota to return as MLA in Fermanagh South Tyrone and I am extremely grateful to everyone that voted for the SDLP."

"The transfer of these votes was our plan from the outset and we thought it would be very important, so we worked on that which worked really well, and with Vincent as a great running mate it all turned out to my advantage as the transfers came through very well.

"This shows the benefits of having a good running mate, and good strategy in retaining a seat.

"Seeing how the votes have transferred in West Tyrone what we have done is an example how to manage the vote in the future for the SDLP," said the MLA.

n See Eugene McMenamin's

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