General election

[mapperleywhite]

As I recall Davy, and I may be wrong on this, the people of Ulster voted to remain. So how would this play out with May & Co flanked by the DUP in Brussels?

[daib0]

But it's going to get even messier - this from the Telegraph, hardly a paper to do cheap scaremongering:


The Telegraph

Ruth Davidson planning Scottish Tory breakaway as she challenges Theresa May's Brexit plan

Ruth Davidson is to defy Theresa May’s plans for a hard Brexit and tear her Scottish party away from English control after the UK Tories’ disastrous General Election result.

Amid a growing clamour among senior Tories in London for Ms Davidson to be given a top position in the UK party, her aides are working on a deal that would see the Scottish party break away to form a separate organisation.

[daib0]

P.S. She might have now refuted it, but surely there are serious turbulences beneath the surface I ask?!

[Davycc]

As I recall Davy, and I may be wrong on this, the people of Ulster voted to remain. So how would this play out with May & Co flanked by the DUP in Brussels?

MW that is indeed right 58% voted to remain. Another "quirk" of politics. However the DUP are staunch Leave believers so I can't see May having any issues with that other than they do not want a "hard border" with the republic as they want a soft Brexit. The hard border issue, and this is only my opinion, shows a softening in the DUPs stance in relation to their insular views. If told 20 or so years ago that the DUP didn't want a hard border I'd have laughed. (Yes there was a lot to do with the troubles etc but it still would have surprised me)

As for how Brussels will play out well I don't see May being able to play a strong hand now and to be honest Arlene Foster will be stepping up several leagues with what she will be dealing with in Brussels. Does she have the experience for that, or will she in reality just nod her head? Add to that the issues with Ruth Davidson and the Scottish Conservatives and negotiations in Brussels well.............. Brussels could be a shambles

Get ready for another election !

There is one person in the ranks of the DUP who I think will come to prominence (states he does not want the leadership ) and that is Ian Paisley Jr. Given the right person to work with from the Nationalist side here in N.I. I do actually think there would be a chance of moving forward again.

I added a link yesterday evening and to many if would just read as a bit of superficial nonsense. But the work that was started by both Ian Paisley, remember he who was the father of the most vocal member of DUP and Martin McGuiness probably his most bitter enemy not rival, ENEMY has no doubt saved tens if not hundreds of live both here in NI and on the mainland. As with the likes of Mandela, not matter what your views on McGuiness or Paisley you have to appreciate just what they did.

[One Eyed Thompson]

Just to set the record straight I did not vote for the DUP representative in my area this election, nor do I ever foresee me doing so.

Nor did I or could I. If there is one thing that I agree with about the DUP it is their stance on the maintenance of the Union. It galls me that unionists are all portrayed as drum beating bigots. Most of us are quite moderate (some, I believe, vote DUP because of the fear of being seen to be weak by nationalists).

The links with Paramilitaries - It grinds on me that anyone with a violent past or indeed a link to those that were violent can be placed in a position of government BUT!!!! there are no parties in N.I that have no links.

Again, what people on the mainland fail to see is that not only do political parties have links there are very few people here (maybe the middle and upper classes) who don't have some family or friend link to the various paramilitaries.

As for the DUP using their position at Westminster to gain financial or other support for Northern Ireland I'm still naïve enough to hope that they would look at the big picture and do whatever is best for the WHOLE of the United Kingdom before looking after themselves.

[Selby White]

Just to set the record straight I did not vote for the DUP representative in my area this election, nor do I ever foresee me doing so.

Nor did I or could I. If there is one thing that I agree with about the DUP it is their stance on the maintenance of the Union. It galls me that unionists are all portrayed as drum beating bigots. Most of us are quite moderate (some, I believe, vote DUP because of the fear of being seen to be weak by nationalists).

The links with Paramilitaries - It grinds on me that anyone with a violent past or indeed a link to those that were violent can be placed in a position of government BUT!!!! there are no parties in N.I that have no links.

Again, what people on the mainland fail to see is that not only do political parties have links there are very few people here (maybe the middle and upper classes) who don't have some family or friend link to the various paramilitaries.

As for the DUP using their position at Westminster to gain financial or other support for Northern Ireland I'm still naïve enough to hope that they would look at the big picture and do whatever is best for the WHOLE of the United Kingdom before looking after themselves.

They can't be as bad as the Scottish Nationalists whose only concern ever seems to be getting more than the rest of the UK. All Parties should be pulling together to achieve whats best for the UK, need to forget local politics for now, Brexit is going to happen we need the best deal to move forward.

[daib0]

Letter from one of the admins on 'RR' to his newly elected Conservative MP for the Newbury constituency, worth reproducing I feel:


"Hello,

Congratulations on your re-election as the MP for the Newbury constituency. While I didn't personally vote for you, I feel that the most important thing now is that we focus on matters that will affect our constituency and the country.

The reason why I'm contacting you is that I would like to express my concerns about the Conservative Party's decision to seek a confidence and supply agreement with the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP).

First of all, I would like to note that I have no concerns about the legitimacy of the Conservative Party to re-enter government with the support of another party. I recognise that the Prime Minister is chosen by the MPs that were elected to Parliament and that a Prime Minister requires the support of the majority of the House of Commons to govern the country. I, additionally, recognise that, once the Speaker, Deputy Speakers and members from Sinn Fein are excluded, the Conservatives and the DUP hold a majority of Parliamentary seats.

My main concerns, in this case, drive from the policies of the DUP, the peace process in Northern Ireland and the DUP's links with paramilitary organisations in Northern Ireland.

The DUP have a number of policies that would be considered by most people in the United Kingdom as regressive and divisive. The party has blocked the legalisation of equal marriage in the Northern Ireland Assembly, using the petition of concern mechanism - which was designed to prevent policies that would be damaging to one community in Northern Ireland from being passed by the Assembly, should 30 MLAs from either community ('Unionist' or 'Nationalist') oppose it. The DUP have used this mechanism unilaterally to prevent equality in Northern Ireland for a substantial minority of people who live in the province. They've also prevented abortion laws from extending to the province, through this mechanism. The abuse of the petition of concern, on issues that would give greater equality to the people of Northern Ireland, suggests that they're only a party that cares about their own views, rather than the views of the people they represent. Also, the DUP's policies appear to stem from a brand of ethnic nationalism, which I would hope the Conservative Party opposes.

Additionally, I fear that this agreement between the parties could undermine, or potentially breach, the Good Friday Agreement. It's my understanding that the United Kingdom, and Irish, government shouldn't show favourably towards a community in Northern Ireland, as it could harm the peace process in the province. Given that the DUP framed this election as a referendum on Northern Ireland's place in the United Kingdom, I feel that it would be unwise of the Conservative Party to give any leverage to the DUP in the coming Parliament. The matter is made worse by the increasing likelihood that Northern Ireland will be returning to direct rule due to the failure of the DUP and Sinn Fein to come to a power-sharing agreement in the province. If the DUP's support is required for the Conservatives to remain in power at Westminster, I feel that it will only worsen the sentiments of the republicans in Northern Ireland - as this could lead to what would effectively be DUP direct rule, when they only received a single seat more than Sinn Fein in the Northern Irish election in March - which was held under the Single Transferable Vote system. Given that the constituency results in Northern Ireland in this election appear to mirror the constituency results in the Assembly election, in terms of largest party, it's likely that the political situation in the province hasn't changed much since March.

On top of this, the DUP have links with the Ulster Defence Association (UDA), Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) and the Red Hand Commando (RHC). The aforementioned organisations are proscribed groups under the Terrorism Act 2000. I know that the Conservative campaign mentioned the alleged links between Jeremy Corbyn, Gerry Adams and the IRA as a reason not to support the Labour Party. I feel that it would be deplorable for the Conservatives to enter into an agreement with a party that is supported by terrorist organisations themselves, especially after the party made comments regarding Corbyn and the IRA a major campaigning point in this election.

I, personally, feel that this deal is only to allow for Theresa May to push through a deal with the European Union without input from the other parties in the House of Commons. It's concerning that, despite 57% of votes in the election going to parties other that the Conservatives and the DUP, the leadership of the Conservatives are attempting to by-pass the opposition in Parliament to achieve that deal with the EU that they want - rather than a deal that the country, as a whole, wants.

To summarise, I feel that you should oppose the Conservative plan to enter into an agreement with the DUP, as the party pursues regressive policies in Northern Ireland, has links with terrorist organisations and the agreement between the parties could undermine the Good Friday Agreement.

Best regards,"

THE REPLY -

Thank you for your words of congratulations.

I am grateful for your thoughts following the election. You will be aware that the discussions around a loose working arrangement with the Democratic Unionist Party are ongoing so it is not possible for me to give you details. However many of the concerns raised around social and equalities policy are devolved issues and so will not be part of any agreement.

I am happy to reassure you about my commitment towards the LGBT community and equality issues and my firm support for the Paris Climate agreement. There is no desire in the Conservative Party to compromise on the good work done in recent years in these key areas of policy.

Yours sincerely

The Rt Hon Richard Benyon
Member of Parliament for Newbury

[Davycc]

Just to set the record straight I did not vote for the DUP representative in my area this election, nor do I ever foresee me doing so.

Nor did I or could I. If there is one thing that I agree with about the DUP it is their stance on the maintenance of the Union. It galls me that unionists are all portrayed as drum beating bigots. Most of us are quite moderate (some, I believe, vote DUP because of the fear of being seen to be weak by nationalists).

The links with Paramilitaries - It grinds on me that anyone with a violent past or indeed a link to those that were violent can be placed in a position of government BUT!!!! there are no parties in N.I that have no links.

Again, what people on the mainland fail to see is that not only do political parties have links there are very few people here (maybe the middle and upper classes) who don't have some family or friend link to the various paramilitaries.

As for the DUP using their position at Westminster to gain financial or other support for Northern Ireland I'm still naïve enough to hope that they would look at the big picture and do whatever is best for the WHOLE of the United Kingdom before looking after themselves.

Spot on

[White Knight]

Just to set the record straight I did not vote for the DUP representative in my area this election, nor do I ever foresee me doing so.

Nor did I or could I. If there is one thing that I agree with about the DUP it is their stance on the maintenance of the Union. It galls me that unionists are all portrayed as drum beating bigots. Most of us are quite moderate (some, I believe, vote DUP because of the fear of being seen to be weak by nationalists).

The links with Paramilitaries - It grinds on me that anyone with a violent past or indeed a link to those that were violent can be placed in a position of government BUT!!!! there are no parties in N.I that have no links.

Again, what people on the mainland fail to see is that not only do political parties have links there are very few people here (maybe the middle and upper classes) who don't have some family or friend link to the various paramilitaries.

As for the DUP using their position at Westminster to gain financial or other support for Northern Ireland I'm still naïve enough to hope that they would look at the big picture and do whatever is best for the WHOLE of the United Kingdom before looking after themselves.

No, I'm sorry to say that I think you are being very naive.

All politics are local and the DUP will milk it for what it's worth. Then they will go home with the goodies for those that elected them and they will lord it over the UUP about their haul. The danger lies in them lording it over the nationalists while they are at it. I think Ian Paisley would have handled this position far better than Arlene Foster. She can't believe her luck. She was hanging on by a thread a number of months back and now she centre of the big political stage. She is not going to go quietly about this jackpot her party, under her leadership, have hit. John Major refered to this issue today. Theresa May must be hoping some of the luck will rub off on her.

[Davycc]

Just to set the record straight I did not vote for the DUP representative in my area this election, nor do I ever foresee me doing so.

Nor did I or could I. If there is one thing that I agree with about the DUP it is their stance on the maintenance of the Union. It galls me that unionists are all portrayed as drum beating bigots. Most of us are quite moderate (some, I believe, vote DUP because of the fear of being seen to be weak by nationalists).

The links with Paramilitaries - It grinds on me that anyone with a violent past or indeed a link to those that were violent can be placed in a position of government BUT!!!! there are no parties in N.I that have no links.

Again, what people on the mainland fail to see is that not only do political parties have links there are very few people here (maybe the middle and upper classes) who don't have some family or friend link to the various paramilitaries.

As for the DUP using their position at Westminster to gain financial or other support for Northern Ireland I'm still naïve enough to hope that they would look at the big picture and do whatever is best for the WHOLE of the United Kingdom before looking after themselves.

No, I'm sorry to say that I think you are being very naive.

......... She can't believe her luck. She was hanging on by a thread a number of months back and now she centre of the big political stage. She is not going to go quietly about this jackpot her party, under her leadership, have hit. John Major refered to this issue today. Theresa May must be hoping some of the luck will rub off on her.......

True, I do though have a feeling (even though the person has said they don't want it) that there is someone patiently waiting in the background to take the reigns by way of being required rather than to be seen pushing AF out.