Welcome to the second in our series of Red Line's election specials.

Each week, between now and December the 12th, we'll be profiling one of the main parties here.

Last week, the Ulster Unionist Party was in the spotlight.

Next week, we're looking at Sinn Féin.

But today we're looking at the STLP for decades, of course, the preeminent nationalist voice here. We'll come on to the party's current fortunes in just a moment after we've had a word about the

election stories of the past few days. Mark Devonport, what caught your eye? Well, I suppose we're at the position now that we're waiting to see what the final lineup of candidates is going to be.

One of the strange things about this week, both across the ward and in Northern Ireland, has been about the number of people who have been backing away from the polls.

Last week we had all those unilateral deals with Sinn Féin, not standing in South Belfast,

SDLP, and the Ulster Union is not in North Belfast.

Then this week we've moved on to hundreds of Brexit party candidates being pulled by their leader Nigel Farage.

We've had the TUV deciding that it won't stand in the elections here.

The Greens are not standing in many places.

We've yet to hear at the time that we're going to record on whether they'll simply not stand anywhere

or whether it's just in relation to certain constituencies.

So when we get to the final list of candidates at tea time on Thursday,

it's quite possible that it's going to be lower than the 109 candidates who bide for these same seats two years ago.

And Ender, we've got a new, it has to be said, contested election slogan that's emerged in South Belfast,

remain stoic and calm.

Yes, absolutely, Mark.

Interesting, of course, because the candidate there has picked it up from another candidate, so to speak,

inadvertently and has put it out there as their campaign slogan, which is something that, I suppose,

caught many by surprise, but it might well work in terms of bringing it forward and trying to entice some of the voters.

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