LongTimeLurker Posted May 9, 2022 Share Posted May 9, 2022 (edited) 5 minutes ago, Clown Job said: That is pretty normal behaviour for the biggest parties within NI PUP and the defunct UDP would be the Loyalist equivalents of SF. DUP cannot sensibly be directly compared with SF on this even if they do still have some baggage in that regard. Edited May 9, 2022 by LongTimeLurker 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clown Job Posted May 9, 2022 Share Posted May 9, 2022 f**k democracy eh? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clown Job Posted May 9, 2022 Share Posted May 9, 2022 (edited) 4 minutes ago, LongTimeLurker said: PUP and the defunct UDP would be the Loyalist equivalents of SF. DUP cannot sensibly be directly compared with SF on this even if they do still have some baggage in that regard. At the very least the DUP legitimises these paramilitary groups… or maybe take orders from them February 2021 The DUP leadership has held talks with the organisation which represents loyalist paramilitary groups, including the UDA and UVF. The party said the meeting in Belfast with the Loyalist Communities Council (LCC) discussed opposition to the Northern Ireland Protocol. Party leader Arlene Foster attended, along with her deputy Nigel Dodds and East Belfast MP Gavin Robinson. The party said the discussions had been "constructive and useful". Edited May 9, 2022 by Clown Job 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LongTimeLurker Posted May 9, 2022 Share Posted May 9, 2022 3 minutes ago, Clown Job said: f**k democracy eh? SF did much the same over the issue of an Irish Language bill not so long ago. Only surprise was that Paul Givan went off message on this in an interview a day or two back. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacksgranda Posted May 9, 2022 Share Posted May 9, 2022 5 minutes ago, LongTimeLurker said: SF did much the same over the issue of an Irish Language bill not so long ago. Only surprise was that Paul Givan went off message on this in an interview a day or two back. SF have no room to lecture here, but I don't think it's a good look from the DUP. I don't think they made it very clear during the campaign that they wouldn't go into government unless the NI Protocol was changed (to their satisfaction). Maybe they did. I do recall Sir Jeffrey saying he would be at Stormont on the first day ready to get things going. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LongTimeLurker Posted May 9, 2022 Share Posted May 9, 2022 (edited) They collapsed Stormont over this issue before the election so think Jeffrey Donaldson would argue this is just a continuation of that. Think they are making too much out of the NIP as a threat to the Union especially as there is very little prospect of it being axed but their approach to Brexit has been a car crash in strategy terms for many years now so nothing new there. Edited May 9, 2022 by LongTimeLurker 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Granny Danger Posted May 9, 2022 Share Posted May 9, 2022 Did the DUP say during the election campaign that they were going to do this? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacksgranda Posted May 9, 2022 Share Posted May 9, 2022 1 minute ago, Granny Danger said: Did the DUP say during the election campaign that they were going to do this? Don't think they did, but they dodged the question every time they were asked would they nominate a Deputy First Minister whenever they were asked (should SF be the largest party). 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Detournement Posted May 9, 2022 Share Posted May 9, 2022 I've seen a lot of stories and tweets about this being the death kneel for the union but looking at results SF + SDLP have less seats than this previous Parliament and the three Unionist parties got more votes than them. It looks the big change was TUV taking votes from the DUP. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LongTimeLurker Posted May 9, 2022 Share Posted May 9, 2022 Remember as well that although Alliance takes no posture on the Union most of their support (certainly not all by any stretch of the imagination) comes from Belfast's commuter belt and is drawn primarily in that context from people from a Protestant background ancestrally who are fed up with the traditional Billy vs Dan stuff. It's a reasonably safe assumption that most of that chunk of the electorate actually would be a No on a border poll barring something really bad for the local economy happening on Brexit which wasn't what ultimately unfolded. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welshbairn Posted May 9, 2022 Share Posted May 9, 2022 5 minutes ago, LongTimeLurker said: barring something really bad for the local economy happening on Brexit which wasn't what ultimately unfolded That could still happen if Westminster unilaterally rip up the protocol, I agree it's unlikely though as would the EU response be to seal the North/South border. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doulikefish Posted May 10, 2022 Share Posted May 10, 2022 Problem solved as it's been announced that Sophie and Edward are set to travel to Ni .Royal tours solve everything 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duries Air Freshener Posted May 10, 2022 Share Posted May 10, 2022 (edited) Stick to your guns, Jeffrey. If Alliance had any sense (no sniggering at the back) then they'd back your stance and get the assembly up and running. After all, they've been more than happy to bring it down in the past. Edited May 10, 2022 by Duries Air Freshener 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacksgranda Posted May 10, 2022 Share Posted May 10, 2022 22 minutes ago, Duries Air Freshener said: Stick to your guns, Jeffrey. If Alliance had any sense (no sniggering at the back) then they'd back your stance and get the assembly up and running. After all, they've been more than happy to bring it down in the past. Really? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welshbairn Posted May 10, 2022 Share Posted May 10, 2022 54 minutes ago, Duries Air Freshener said: Stick to your guns, Jeffrey. If Alliance had any sense (no sniggering at the back) then they'd back your stance and get the assembly up and running. After all, they've been more than happy to bring it down in the past. No part of that makes sense. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benjamin_Nevis Posted May 10, 2022 Share Posted May 10, 2022 Really?No, he's a relentlessly thick troll. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LongTimeLurker Posted May 10, 2022 Share Posted May 10, 2022 1 hour ago, Jacksgranda said: Really? Wasn't able to follow where he was going with that either. For people in NI who are not keen on having SF in power the most subversive thing they can do to upset the DUP-SF duopoloy is to vote for parties that refuse to designate as being either Unionist or Nationalist. If enough people did that the St Andrews Agreement would no longer be workable and the entire system would have to be changed. Unlikely to happen next time but if Stormont lurches from crisis to crisis on forming executives because the conjoined twins simply can't work together due to their never ending posturing over the constitution, odds on more people will start considering whether there is a viable alternative. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duries Air Freshener Posted May 10, 2022 Share Posted May 10, 2022 2 hours ago, welshbairn said: No part of that makes sense. It makes perfect sense. Alliance's stance over such a trivial matter as the Irish Language Act in 2017 was completely at odds with their current pretence of 'let's get back to work'. How long was Stormont down, over 3 years or something? If they are to be taken seriously, then they shouldn't just dismiss the concerns over the protocol, just as they didn't dismiss the concerns regarding language back then. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacksgranda Posted May 10, 2022 Share Posted May 10, 2022 Alliance didn't bring down the Executive, that was SF, no matter Alliance's "stance" on an Irish Language Act. The Executive couldn't be reformed without SF. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welshbairn Posted May 10, 2022 Share Posted May 10, 2022 (edited) 33 minutes ago, Duries Air Freshener said: It makes perfect sense. Alliance's stance over such a trivial matter as the Irish Language Act in 2017 was completely at odds with their current pretence of 'let's get back to work'. How long was Stormont down, over 3 years or something? If they are to be taken seriously, then they shouldn't just dismiss the concerns over the protocol, just as they didn't dismiss the concerns regarding language back then. The Alliance party has no powers to amend or scrap the protocol, nor to force either the DUP or Sinn Fein to nominate a leader in Stormont. If the Irish Language Act was so trivial why did the DUP refuse to pass it? Edited May 10, 2022 by welshbairn 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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