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Јas
Jas
Junior Chimp
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« on: December 07, 2007, 08:14:27 AM »

Decided to start one for NI to see how it goes. A couple of recent stories of interest to start with...

Earlier this week, Gerry McHugh MLA (Fermanagh-South Tyrone) resigned from Sinn Féin. He cited problems with the controlling nature of the leadership and his concerns as to the direction of Sinn Féin post the St. Andrew's Agreement. The leakage of members from SF because of policing issues and St. Andrew's seemed to have stopped some time ago; McHugh is the first MLA since the election to do so (all the previous one's having lost their seats). His issues with the leadership seem to be the more pressing concern, though it's almost certainly his lack of personal political progress which distresses him moreso than anything else.

McHugh is now an Independent and claims he will seek to defend his seat in the next Assembly elections. If the election was held tomorrow, McHugh would have next to no chance of retaining the seat, but if things become rocky for the DUP & SF led administration...who knows?

New Composition of the Assembly
Democratic Unionist Party36
Sinn Féin27(-1)
Ulster Unionist Party18
Social Democratic and Labour Party16
Alliance Party7
Independents2(+1)
Green Party1
Progressive Unionist Party1




Potentially a more serious party dissident is Jim Allister MEP (Ind; N. Ireland). Allister was a hardline DUP member but left after the party went into coalition with Sinn Féin. Today, he has announced the establishment of a new anti-St. Andrew's Unionist group, the "Traditional Unionist Voice". Like SF, the DUP lost a series of members earlier in the year (mostly at Councillor level). There's no doubt that there is a section of the Unionist community that will be at least sympathetic to Allister's new group. Whether or not they can be electorally successful is another matter. Only time will tell...



Meanwhile, today First Minister Paisley and Deputy First Minister McGuinness will continue their US tour with a trip to the White House to meet President Bush. They're also expected to meet Senator Clinton later today. The meetings complete their trip to the US which sought to project their newfound positive image and try and drum up inward investment in NI, while the image of them at ease with each other retains lustre.

Back in Belfast, the draft Budget has caused trouble in the coalition. The consternation of the UUP (and to a lesser extent the SDLP) is becoming more and more clear. Elements of the UUP support removing themselves from the executive but it seems unlikely Empey will take that course right now. The Budget must be finalised in January at which point all the cards will have to be played and we'll see whether things can be resolved.
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minionofmidas
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« Reply #1 on: December 19, 2007, 05:02:37 PM »

You're misusing the word "general" in the Ulster context. Please report only on issues relating to the general community in this thread in the future. Catholic issues go into the Northern Ireland Catholic Discussion thread.
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Silent Hunter
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« Reply #2 on: December 20, 2007, 10:40:11 AM »

How about we call this "Stroke Province General Discussion"? Because no-one can agree on the name.
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minionofmidas
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« Reply #3 on: January 29, 2008, 08:39:21 AM »

Why is the SDLP taking that position?

The laws about the Northern Ireland government formation would ensure that similar situations will continue one would assume.
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Filuwaúrdjan
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« Reply #4 on: February 19, 2008, 12:36:55 PM »

Presumably this kills off any hope he might have had of following on from his dad as leader?
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minionofmidas
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« Reply #5 on: February 19, 2008, 12:44:02 PM »

Presumably this kills off any hope he might have had of following on from his dad as leader?
Depends. I wouldn't rule out a comeback, but it should take a while. Which means his dad would have to continue for quite a number of years. Which makes it unlikely. Of course, he might become his father's second successor.
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minionofmidas
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« Reply #6 on: April 14, 2008, 11:00:29 AM »

Robinson's only 59? He seems to have been around forever...
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Хahar 🤔
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« Reply #7 on: July 24, 2008, 01:40:53 PM »

An alliance with the Tories seems like the only way to save the UUP and unionism in general from the Paisleyites.
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« Reply #8 on: July 24, 2008, 01:43:19 PM »

An alliance with the Tories seems like the only way to save the UUP and unionism in general from the Paisleyites.

Save the UUP? You mean save "Sylvia Hermon for North Down". The UUP have absolutely no chance of winning anything else.
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Хahar 🤔
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« Reply #9 on: July 24, 2008, 01:47:07 PM »

An alliance with the Tories seems like the only way to save the UUP and unionism in general from the Paisleyites.

Save the UUP? You mean save "Sylvia Hermon for North Down". The UUP have absolutely no chance of winning anything else.

They don't now. But they could recover over the course of several decades.
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« Reply #10 on: July 24, 2008, 01:57:42 PM »

An alliance with the Tories seems like the only way to save the UUP and unionism in general from the Paisleyites.

Save the UUP? You mean save "Sylvia Hermon for North Down". The UUP have absolutely no chance of winning anything else.

They don't now. But they could recover over the course of several decades.

Over the course of several decades, Ian Paisley will die, and the DUP will moderate.
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Хahar 🤔
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« Reply #11 on: July 24, 2008, 02:03:44 PM »

An alliance with the Tories seems like the only way to save the UUP and unionism in general from the Paisleyites.

Save the UUP? You mean save "Sylvia Hermon for North Down". The UUP have absolutely no chance of winning anything else.

They don't now. But they could recover over the course of several decades.

Over the course of several decades, Ian Paisley will die, and the DUP will moderate.

The people in the lower leadership positions don't consider the Pope the Antichrist?
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Filuwaúrdjan
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« Reply #12 on: July 24, 2008, 03:09:16 PM »

The DUP aren't just a bunch of fundamentalists... in any case, I don't see how hooking up with the Tories (again) will help the UUP at all. Maybe people should remember quite how well (or rather "badly") the Tories did when they stood in NI in '92.
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« Reply #13 on: July 24, 2008, 04:16:25 PM »

The DUP aren't just a bunch of fundamentalists... in any case, I don't see how hooking up with the Tories (again) will help the UUP at all. Maybe people should remember quite how well (or rather "badly") the Tories did when they stood in NI in '92.

They stood some candidates in 2005, didn't they? In just a few seats, and got something like 0.3% of the vote.
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Rural Radical
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« Reply #14 on: July 26, 2008, 02:20:51 PM »

Personally it would be nice for the mainland parties to be succesful there.

I would imagine most SF & DUP voters would be pretty solidly Labour which would mean that most seats would be Labour.
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Хahar 🤔
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« Reply #15 on: July 26, 2008, 02:24:32 PM »

Personally it would be nice for the mainland parties to be succesful there.

I would imagine most SF & DUP voters would be pretty solidly Labour which would mean that most seats would be Labour.

DUP? Labour? I really don't see it (but I'm only somewhat familiar with NI politics). Same goes for SF. It seems well to the left of Labour. On the other hand, the SDLP essentially is Labour.
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Filuwaúrdjan
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« Reply #16 on: July 26, 2008, 02:44:38 PM »

Personally it would be nice for the mainland parties to be succesful there.

Maybe, but that's just a pipedream really (and Nationalists wouldn't vote for the British parties). Would would be nice would be for a rebirth of the NILP. Also a pipedream, I guess Sad

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The DUP's core electorate (both in urban and rural areas) is largely working class. And the same for Sinn Fein, obviously (and the party that Sinn Fein supporters in London vote for is not exactly a secret...).

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Have you heard one of the more imaginative sendups of the SDLP's acronym? Schoolteachers, Doctor's and Lawyers Party. It's only a slight exaggeration to say that outside Derry (where it still has a working class vote) it's become (despite the name) the party of middle class Catholics and little else. The party is now close to death in working class districts in Belfast where it was once very strong. Increasingly the SDLP looks more FF-FG than anything found on the mainland (still has a "red" wing though).
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minionofmidas
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« Reply #17 on: July 27, 2008, 09:07:42 AM »

I've long supported a United Kingdom of Great Ireland and Northern Britain, to encompass all parts of the British Isles except the Southeast of England. Cheesy
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Cuivienen
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« Reply #18 on: July 27, 2008, 09:09:22 AM »

I've long supported a United Kingdom of Great Ireland and Northern Britain, to encompass all parts of the British Isles except the Southeast of England. Cheesy

Will the Southeast then become a part of France?
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minionofmidas
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« Reply #19 on: July 27, 2008, 09:12:58 AM »

I've long supported a United Kingdom of Great Ireland and Northern Britain, to encompass all parts of the British Isles except the Southeast of England. Cheesy

Will the Southeast then become a part of France?
No, it will become an independent country with weird but endearing politics that will also attempt to revive Anglo-Saxon as a second official language. Grin
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Хahar 🤔
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« Reply #20 on: July 27, 2008, 09:52:43 AM »

I like that. Tongue
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Cuivienen
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« Reply #21 on: July 27, 2008, 01:08:12 PM »

I've long supported a United Kingdom of Great Ireland and Northern Britain, to encompass all parts of the British Isles except the Southeast of England. Cheesy

Will the Southeast then become a part of France?
No, it will become an independent country with weird but endearing politics that will also attempt to revive Anglo-Saxon as a second official language. Grin

Then they need a civil war. It's not a proper country until it's had a civil war.
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Filuwaúrdjan
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« Reply #22 on: December 06, 2008, 11:52:10 AM »

Some mistake surely;

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http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/7768650.stm
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Јas
Jas
Junior Chimp
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« Reply #23 on: December 06, 2008, 07:17:40 PM »

Odd certainly.

Anyway, it seems clear that the only voice of the Ulster Unionists of any real relevance to Mr Cameron isn't sold on him yet.

Lady Hermon has a voting record which clearly indicates she's happy with Labour. The Belfast Telegraph report rumours that she could leave the party on this issue.

I don't see what David Cameron and the Conservatives get out of this and don't see what Reg Empey and the UUP get out of it.
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Silent Hunter
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« Reply #24 on: January 28, 2009, 02:10:17 PM »

Report on handing legacy of troubles sparks outrage.
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