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Jim Allister has been busily reading an NIO consultation document entitled "Improving the Administration of Elections to the Northern Ireland Assembly."

And no, it's not nearly as dull as it sounds.

Mr Allister has found that the NIO has tacked on a clause about replacing MEPs. Now Northern Ireland has long bit of an anomaly on that score compared to other parts of Europe. Here, if an MEP dies or resigns while in office, the law requires a by-election. But in other regions, a list system applies whereby a subsitute is named at the time of the election.

The NIO is proposing a different approach. It is suggesting that a party's nominating officer simply appoints a replacement if the MEP departs while in office.

Mr Allister smells a rat - or a trojan horse as he puts it. He's appalled and is claiming this will enable parties such as the DUP to field a high profile candidate for the poll, and then quietly replace the MEP with someone less glamorous.

Could this sweeten the pot for Nigel Dodds standing?

Of course there's alot of buzz (again) around Edwin Poots being the candidate.

Watch this space.

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