The NI/ROI Protocol

JimAndy

Member
Mixed Farmer
can't see them giving up their MP seats as they not want to run a byelection in the current climate, also i am against being "co-opted" on. this isn't china, we vote for the people not the party. if they want to be a MLA stand for a election and get a mandate from the people
 

Ashtree

Member
You have to wonder why anybody in their right mind would want the job now. You imagine to recover electorally, they have to be seen to get rid of the protocol, be seen to abandon the north south bodies and modernise their outlook on social matters.
The protocol is going nowhere albeit it will be changed and tweaked to make more user friendly. It will still be a stone in both feet, to die hard unionists, and DUP will forever be associated with it.
The GF agreement is going nowhere, and hence north south bodies are going nowhere. Abandoning either or is not a policy.
As for any leader aiming to modernise ..... too many die hards lying in the long grass.
What a fall from the dizzy heights of Westminster kingmaker for Nigel Dodds. Turfed out as MP at the last GE. Now to be told by the party, don’t bother applying for leader!!
 

The Agrarian

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Northern Ireland
Screenshot_20210428-094844.png
 

Ashtree

Member
So what I hadn’t realised, this will be the first time an election is held for the leadership. Nothing like an election, to create trouble from the sidelines from the losing side. I hope Sammy wins😜. He would be hilarious at fending off his own trouble makers😀😀😀
 

Ashtree

Member
First time there "might" be an election with more than one candidate for the job.

Guess so. Shame. Poots will just have to shout no, no, no. Thing is, that ship sailed with the big fella, and he knew that himself, which is why he changed tune to, yes, yes, yes, before he hung up his hat.
 

Ashtree

Member
It would be in a much better place. Brexit would still have opened up old ghosts though.
Still, I get the feeling SF have peaked (certainly in the south), and SDLP are positioned to chip away at them in the north. FF and FG, will be far more electorally awake and aware of them next time around, and hopefully they will lose a bunch of seats.
Alliance will continue to gain hopefully in north. Robin Swann, has given UUP a lot of street cred with his Covid handling and hopefully that will be remembered at the ballot box.
If only the SF / DUP grip on first and deputy first minister could be broken for one cycle, things might turn to a more progressive path.
 

The Agrarian

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Northern Ireland
I too have that feeling. I think we've gone through a very tough two decades where the majority of voters were scarred by the troubles. But there's every likelihood now that it has bottomed out. The UUP and the SDLP are more likely to gain from here than to lose, though to do so would be to reverse long term trends, which is difficult. But they have the things they had before, pragmatism and accomodation, progressiveness and general reasonableness in their toolboxes, which may be more sought after as voters, one by one, come out from their hiding places in the margins. The move to alliance is a sign of that, but really progressive politics does not have to mean abandoning constitutional positions, but being able to hold them in much less harmful ways to the political processes.
 

thewalrus

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Northern Ireland
I too have that feeling. I think we've gone through a very tough two decades where the majority of voters were scarred by the troubles. But there's every likelihood now that it has bottomed out. The UUP and the SDLP are more likely to gain from here than to lose, though to do so would be to reverse long term trends, which is difficult. But they have the things they had before, pragmatism and accomodation, progressiveness and general reasonableness in their toolboxes, which may be more sought after as voters, one by one, come out from their hiding places in the margins. The move to alliance is a sign of that, but really progressive politics does not have to mean abandoning constitutional positions, but being able to hold them in much less harmful ways to the political processes.

the uup to to move more to the centre they’ve lost out big time to the alliance. A moderate/liberal unionist party would have made significant gains in the last 3/4 years and would continue to go.
 

thewalrus

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Northern Ireland
The dup lack options. There isn’t a go to name. No Peter Robinson or Nigel Dodds to step in. The heavy hitters are gone (bar maybe Donaldson but are the dup really going to go to an ex UUP person again/he’s slightly tarnished by the brexit thing)
 
You have to wonder why anybody in their right mind would want the job now. You imagine to recover electorally, they have to be seen to get rid of the protocol, be seen to abandon the north south bodies and modernise their outlook on social matters.
The protocol is going nowhere albeit it will be changed and tweaked to make more user friendly. It will still be a stone in both feet, to die hard unionists, and DUP will forever be associated with it.
The GF agreement is going nowhere, and hence north south bodies are going nowhere. Abandoning either or is not a policy.
As for any leader aiming to modernise ..... too many die hards lying in the long grass.
What a fall from the dizzy heights of Westminster kingmaker for Nigel Dodds. Turfed out as MP at the last GE. Now to be told by the party, don’t bother applying for leader!!
It's never a good move to enter into a coalition as the minority Party, its all blame and no gain.

Anyone remember the Liberal Democrats....
 

SFI - What % were you taking out of production?

  • 0 %

    Votes: 79 42.0%
  • Up to 25%

    Votes: 66 35.1%
  • 25-50%

    Votes: 30 16.0%
  • 50-75%

    Votes: 3 1.6%
  • 75-100%

    Votes: 3 1.6%
  • 100% I’ve had enough of farming!

    Votes: 7 3.7%

Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

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  • 1
As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
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