Baffling isn't it that the Dup have moved forward the Irish unity discussion and now they are scratching their heads wondering how they can possibly navigate their own mess back too Unionist supremacy. Their days are numbered.
Current Affairs Irish Border and Brexit
- Thread starter Charlie Sweet
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Firstly I have to say I know Jeffrey Donaldson, or rather I knew him, I haven’t spoken to him in a few years, I knew him through work but as I changed jobs we no longer needed to meet. I also knew many DUP elected representatives along with Sinn Fein members and members of other parties. I still work with Northern Ireland politicians but they are not the big hitters of the past. I can definitely say they are all friendly normal people when they step away from politics, with the exception of Jim Allister who has no redeeming qualities.
Of all the politicians I have worked with Jeffery Donaldson is the most consummate, he always was well prepared, he knew what he wanted and, while he was polite, he didn’t waver from where he wanted to go. I was surprised to see the mess he has gotten himself into over the boycott of Stormont, I never thought he would allow himself to be painted into such a corner, I can only surmise he wasn’t in control of the DUP and hadn’t the leverage to move them on.
The last week seems to have marked a change, the DUP executive meeting and then the speech in Parliament seems to have moved things on. My take on it is that he now knows he cannot sit outside the Assembly complaining about how the country is run while the place falls apart. He knows he needs the soft nationalist vote if there is to be a border poll to secure the union, they are not going to vote to stay within a broken entity. If people are financially more secure in an all Ireland Republic that will have a significant effect on how they vote. I also think he now knows the DUP are not one party, once they left behind Paisley’s party of protest status and became mainstream they needed to change, they did but kept the extremism of Dodds, Wilson, Paisley Jr etc. The party is too diverse to be carried by one person or a single policy, I think JD knows a split is coming and he needs to not only lead it but needs to be on the right side of it.
I think he accepts the deal and takes the majority of the DUP back into Stormont while the extreme right either join TUV or form a new party. He then starts to align more closely with the UUP and hopefully with the incoming Labour government he can make Northern Ireland a better place to live and make it more attractive to the non unionist voters. I can’t see any other path for him and his party.
Time will tell.
Of all the politicians I have worked with Jeffery Donaldson is the most consummate, he always was well prepared, he knew what he wanted and, while he was polite, he didn’t waver from where he wanted to go. I was surprised to see the mess he has gotten himself into over the boycott of Stormont, I never thought he would allow himself to be painted into such a corner, I can only surmise he wasn’t in control of the DUP and hadn’t the leverage to move them on.
The last week seems to have marked a change, the DUP executive meeting and then the speech in Parliament seems to have moved things on. My take on it is that he now knows he cannot sit outside the Assembly complaining about how the country is run while the place falls apart. He knows he needs the soft nationalist vote if there is to be a border poll to secure the union, they are not going to vote to stay within a broken entity. If people are financially more secure in an all Ireland Republic that will have a significant effect on how they vote. I also think he now knows the DUP are not one party, once they left behind Paisley’s party of protest status and became mainstream they needed to change, they did but kept the extremism of Dodds, Wilson, Paisley Jr etc. The party is too diverse to be carried by one person or a single policy, I think JD knows a split is coming and he needs to not only lead it but needs to be on the right side of it.
I think he accepts the deal and takes the majority of the DUP back into Stormont while the extreme right either join TUV or form a new party. He then starts to align more closely with the UUP and hopefully with the incoming Labour government he can make Northern Ireland a better place to live and make it more attractive to the non unionist voters. I can’t see any other path for him and his party.
Time will tell.
The DUP party executive meeting sounds like fun. PSNI drafted in to try and block phone signals and Jamie Bin Bryson still live tweets a play by play update on everything said at the meeting and hes not even there.
Taifi gorm
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looks like NI gets advantages of being in both markets.
Good for them.
Great Britain got to leave fully but not NI. I mean, NI voted to stay.
I'd be peed off if I was Scottish and voted remain.
Good for them.
Great Britain got to leave fully but not NI. I mean, NI voted to stay.
I'd be peed off if I was Scottish and voted remain.
Drico
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The Scots had their chance in 2014 and bottled it spectacularly. To be fair to them, the EU - doing the bidding of member state the UK - did intimate that a vote to break up the UK would send them out of the EU for fear of upsetting the Spanish and Belgians, among others, who have their separatist worries. The good news for Scotland now, though, is the UK is no longer an EU member and therefore the EU will no longer be taking the UK's side in any future referendum. We'll be delighted in Ireland to recommend our Scottish friends for EU membership the day they leave the UK.
The legislation is out tomorrow and I may retract this but I note the following. All DUP spokespeople have flagged that goods moving from GB to NI can be unhindered.
2 points. Firstly, this was already the case under the Green Lane. This isn’t new. And the Red lane still exists.
Secondly, why are they silent on exports from NI to GB? By exports I include people as well as goods. Unfettered access at GB ports and airports?
The DUP will do well to sell this as anything other than capitulation.
2 points. Firstly, this was already the case under the Green Lane. This isn’t new. And the Red lane still exists.
Secondly, why are they silent on exports from NI to GB? By exports I include people as well as goods. Unfettered access at GB ports and airports?
The DUP will do well to sell this as anything other than capitulation.
Emlynsqueakyvoice
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I never thought I'd ever agree with 167, but there you go.
mightymoyes
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a good summation of what has gone on
Taifi gorm
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Lol. Like Dublin, nationalists or Brussels did anything wrong other than stand up for themselves.
Brexit, internal trade (there has always been issues) is just a dog whistle.
They wouldn't and couldn't bring themselves to accept a nationalist majority in the assembly and throw a tantrum, like always, in the face of equality.
Plus a strange title intro and use of dissident republican march image.
Charlie Sweet
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Agree completely. The liars in the DUP and the Tory Party have brought this on themselves entirely. Brexit was always going to cause issues
mightymoyes
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i dont think there is a major problem with them accepting a nationalist majority in the assembly or nationalist 'first minister' seeing they have now agreed to go back.
but yeh the one part of the article i had an issue with was him trying to apportion some of the blame to Dublin when it was all of the tories and DUPs own making.
yup, in the year or so leading up to the referendum I argued a lot abut this with Pete. Think there was no. CA section at the time, it was in the Ale house. I pointed out that there was no plan for the land border on the Island of Ireland. But he didn't care. I was amazed how quickly the patriotic nationalist brexiteers threw the unionists under the bus in order to make Brexit happen.
Now theres a two tiered UK and the vast majority of English people could not give one hoot about NI
In this case it works out for NI who get a great economic deal.
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