"A total shambles"
Not my assessment of the Ulster Unionist Party, but the view of their veteran Lisburn councillor Ronnie Crawford. Mr Crawford isn't happy about the party's treatment of the former Upper Bann Westminster candidate Harry Hamilton, who quit after failing to get selected to contest next year's Assembly elections. Mr Crawford, himself a former Mayor, thinks it was "uncalled for" to dump someone who had demonstrated he already had over the quota needed to get into Stormont.
After the UUP chair David Campbell used his conference speech to call the Freddie Mercury impersonator "Flash in the Pan Harry", Mr Crawford visited Mr Hamilton's facebook page to say the UUP needed "more Flash Harrys and fewer rash Campbells".
The Lisburn councillor reminded Mr Hamilton, as he considers his alternatives, that Alliance is a non unionist party, but continued "when will the UUP get a grip on itself? We are a total shambles and have thrown away a good man with a quota. Time for a stirring in the grassroots".
Councillor Crawford says that he's not thinking of jumping ship himself as he believes the UUP "needs all hands on deck". However here's a conundrum for the party hierarchy - they disciplined Lagan Valley activist John Lund for speaking his mind on ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Radio Ulster. What do they do when a well respected colleague speaks his mind on Facebook?
I'm 
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