Arlene Foster

[stevieg]

Actually it IS taking back control.

The problem you have is everyone else knew these people were not acting in the UK's interest for the past 40 years.

The solution is democracy .. vote them out and get someone who can do the job.

God knows why there is this fixation about Northern Ireland .. there are 65 million people in the UK and it doesn't all hang on a few people who can't decide where they live.

So you think last years election wasn’t democratic ?
We had a choice of dumb or dumber and that will remain the case when we have the undemocratic first past the post electoral system ,no fault of the Eu.
A bag of potatoes would be elected in some constituencies.
The Eu has been the whipping boy for our ineptness for 40 years but we’ve just taken away the camouflage.

 

[caveman]

Of course.
All the remoaners could of voted Lib Dem to stay in.
But if they were in charge, we'd probably of been chucked out by now.

 

[czechmate]

Of course.
All the remoaners could of voted Lib Dem to stay in.
But if they were in charge, we'd probably of been chucked out by now.

I don’t think so. If you were given the choice of Nick Clegg or JC as PM, who would you go for?

 

[caveman]

I don’t think so. If you were given the choice of Nick Clegg or JC as PM, who would you go for?

JC wasn't promising to remain. He was too busy punting his mother about at grab a granny nights for a couple of extra votes.

 

[stevieg]

Of course.
All the remoaners could of voted Lib Dem to stay in.
But if they were in charge, we'd probably of been chucked out by now.

Make no difference with first past the post. Could get 20% of vote and 5 % of seats.
How many MPs have the kippers ?

 

[caveman]

Make no difference with first past the post. Could get 20% of vote and 5 % of seats.
How many MPs have the kippers ?

Nah.
It just shows that 48% of the voting electorate aren't really convicted remainers.

 

[stevieg]

Nah.
It just shows that 48% of the voting electorate aren't really convicted remainers.

Appears to be more convicts on your side

 

[caveman]

Appears to be more convicts on your side

Yep.
We got 52% of the vote of those that could be bothered to vote.
Life's a bitch when you've backed the losing horse in a two horse race.

 

[stevieg]

Yep.
We got 52% of the vote of those that could be bothered to vote.
Life's a bitch when you've backed the losing horse in a two horse race.

Not at all. No deal here we come !

 

[Ashtree]

Not at all. No deal here we come !

Life’s a bitch when you apparently ride the winning horse, but you cannot get the flamin nag to go into the winners enclosure to collect the bucket of oats

 

[Ashtree]

Nowhere in Britain are the complexities and contradictions of Brexit so apparent as in NI.

The referendum gave a very clear instruction to NI politicians that the people wanted to stay. But of course the DUP wouldn’t listen.
Then TM had her disastrous election and effectively gave the keys of Brexit to the DUP and gave them a billion pounds on top so they could really poke they eye of anyone who crossed them in their Brexit zeal.

At the eleventh hour though the real ramifications of a DUP style Brexit are just too much of a risk for real people, in the real world, providing real employment, creating real wealth, taking real risks.

Quite simply a MASSIVE shift has taken place in NI largely speaking in DUP / Unionist grassroots. A sort of traditional OMERTA which pervades both Unionist and Nationalist sides of divide has now been SMASHED on the unionist DUP side. Unionist people all across the province are speaking up now and publicly challenging and shaming their own DUP representatives. In a sense a “genie” has escaped from the Unionist bottle. There will be no putting it back.

How has this come to pass? Unionism and DUP in particular just haven’t moved on from the past. Age profile of Unionist leadership well north of mid fifties. Highly male dominated. Stuck in religious orthodoxy. Etc, etc,.
In a word “leadership” or lack thereof. Twentieth century political style and leadership for the twenty first century.

Here’s a summary excluding the farmers of the groups who now represent the escaped “genie”.

https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/...-as-bodies-step-up-the-pressure-37549411.html

https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/...ps-opposed-to-draft-brexit-deal-37550137.html

https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/...-fear-over-mays-withdrawal-plan-37548195.html

 

[nivilla1982]

Evidence of change?

 

[Ashtree]

Evidence of change?

I guess.

 

[nivilla1982]

So far the it appears the only Unionist politician to offer any support for the proposed withdrawal agreement is Lady Hermon the independent unionist MP for North Down. Her seat is a top target for the DUP at the next general election.
North Down is a strange seat in NI politics, relatively limited to non existent nationalist voting population, relatively affluent area to compared to rest of NI, in a sense it is more "normal" seat almost like a mainland seat.
Lady Hermon tends to vote more often with Labour than the Conservatives, one of the reason she left the UUP was her opposition to the electoral arrangement between the Conservatives and Ulster Unionists in 2009-2010.

 

[it's not over]

So far the it appears the only Unionist politician to offer any support for the proposed withdrawal agreement is Lady Hermon the independent unionist MP for North Down. Her seat is a top target for the DUP at the next general election.
North Down is a strange seat in NI politics, relatively limited to non existent nationalist voting population, relatively affluent area to compared to rest of NI, in a sense it is more "normal" seat almost like a mainland seat.
Lady Hermon tends to vote more often with Labour than the Conservatives, one of the reason she left the UUP was her opposition to the electoral arrangement between the Conservatives and Ulster Unionists in 2009-2010.

There was chat it was a seat for nigel

 

[The Agrarian]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-46293736

Interesting. Can the supreme Court rule the deal nul and void after it's been signed and we've left, if it is asked to consider this one?

 

[nivilla1982]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-46293736

Interesting. Can the supreme Court rule the deal nul and void after it's been signed and we've left, if it is asked to consider this one?

Would be interesting.

 

[The Agrarian]

'in all treaties with a foreign power, his Majesty's subjects in Ireland shall enjoy the same privileges and be on the same footing as those in great britain'


In which case, surely the Anglo Irish agreement was illegal?

 

[nivilla1982]

But did anyone actually take the UK Government to court to prove it?

The McGimpsey Brothers took a case to the Irish Supreme Court
https://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/o...h-deal-in-the-irish-courts-but-lost-1-7073604

 

[Muck Spreader]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-46293736

Interesting. Can the supreme Court rule the deal nul and void after it's been signed and we've left, if it is asked to consider this one?

Right up Mogg's street, acts the that were implemented at the time of King George III.