QuoteAgreed, I think the Tories are probably scarier than they've ever been- it's just that Cameron hides it very well.
Cameron more and more strikes me as an even more dangerous successor to Tony Blair. He stands for nothing, drifts in whatever direction the wind is blowing on a given day and would say anything to get elected.
It makes me nostalgic for the days of Maggie and Tebbit, at least you knew exactly why you hated them as they stood for something!!
Agreed, I think the Tories are probably scarier than they've ever been- it's just that Cameron hides it very well.
#NeverStopNotGivingUp
Would you like to name one?Originally Posted by ArdeeBhoy
All the Northern Ireland parties except the DUP (or previously the UUP) are irrelevant in Westminster votes, since they have a handful or less of MPs. If Cameron or whoever is leading Labour in a fortnight's time need two votes for a majority, they're unlikely to approach the SDLP first.And the Alliance Party, beyond an occasional ceremonial role, are a largely irrelevant nonentity in the context of Westminster, for reasons which should be obvious, even to you FFS
They seem to have a similar attitude towards education, especially those in HE and student fees.
More importantly, they are both of a similar relative strength in their respective electorates and unlike the AP, even the SDLP could have a very small influence in a 'balanced' British Parliament, regardless of their long-term aspirations.....
Just like NI is irrelevant to people in Great Britain. The proper business is done at Stormont.
I agree that Labour and the SDLP are linked though, not the Lib Dems.
There's a great letter here which sums up the nature of politics up north
All three leaders are some of the worst in recent history. Clegg is worse than Kennedy or Ashdown, Brown is worse than Blair (or at the very least the same) and John Smith, Cameron (the defintion of slime) is worse than Hague or Major...
Have any of the Northern dailies or local papers done any polling yet?
Fair enough Dan, though New Labour are so embarassingly right-wing in certain respects, they must almost be closer to the unionists in some respects, let alone the SDLP....
And that letter is spot on;Ultimately beyond using the UUP to bolster any majority, Cameron doesn't give two f*cks, rightly about the North as even he's already highlighted it as a major drain on the Brits economy!
Trouble is a UI is not that economically viable just now, not to mention all the other, er, 'baggage' involved.
Still it's all about the longer game;Even 'I.K.P.' referred to it as "The North of Ireland" in his retirement address, the other day.
Needless to say, the usual whataboutery merchants were nowhere to be seen...
Is there any point? Unless something changes there'll be about two marginals.
In a normal democratic system, polling is a reasonable barometer of how voters react to policy statements and debates. In the knuckledragging-tribal-Groundhog Day that is Norn Ireland politics, its simply a depressing reminder of how some things haven't changed.
It depends whether you mean '1-2% between the two leading candidates', in which case given the basic zero likelihood of anyone swinging from green to orange or vice versa there aren't really any, or alternatively are thinking of one side's main candidate winning with tactical votes from its other party (as in Belfast South in 2005), where there could be quite a few. Particularly if all three main unionist parties poll strongly.
Predictable cliched moaning. The Conservatives are putting more effort into Northern Ireland because it's potentially 11-12 more votes for them overall. For them at least, it isn't about the border at all ( or 'honest brokerage in the peace procession' as Brian Maguire and Dan would presumably prefer), but the slightly more important issue of who runs Britain. Of which Northern Ireland is a trifling 3% of the population in a backwater, really.
Last edited by Gather round; 27/04/2010 at 5:18 PM.
By engaging in tactical arrangements and pacts with other parties they have effectively made it "about the border" whether they want or acknowledge this or not.
Make no mistake, the Fermanagh South Tyrone decision is an awful opening salvo by the Tories in Norn Ireland politics and shows Cameron up for the slippy, spineless lightweight that he is.
More like cynical and desperate by the Conservatives, in a hopefully futile attempt to get power, nothing to do with the border.....Though those outdated cretins will be lucky to win 1-2 seats, even with their natural constituency in the North. Even the DUP may be more credible!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Even the AP would be.
And what ORA said re.Cameron.
Last edited by ArdeeBhoy; 28/04/2010 at 12:15 PM.
I expect they're fairly relaxed that you and others think it's about the border. For them it's about getting another nine or 10 seats, which might be crucial in the shake-up at Westminster. If they didn't stand at all, or didn't acknowledge the reality that almost all unionist politicians are at least small 'c' conservatives if not actually autonomous local representatives of the party, then presumably that would be about the border too?
Many of us over here knew how slippy he was as soon as he became Tory leader. I'd have preferred he stood 18 NI candidates in principle (I vote Green over here, but I've always argued that all the big British parties should stand in every part of the country).Make no mistake, the Fermanagh South Tyrone decision is an awful opening salvo by the Tories in Norn Ireland politics and shows Cameron up for the slippy, spineless lightweight that he is.
In the short-term, I expect the Tory/UUP/ FST deal to win at least those one or two (maybe also Antrim South and Strangford). In the mid-term (ie next election?) they could win many more. The DUP got local power partly by promising to be more hardline, and on the back of a personality cult for Paisley. The one's been outflanked by the TUV, the other will obviously fade. Financial and other scandals won't help them either.
You're right that the only border DC is really interested in is the one on the swingometer.
Last edited by Gather round; 28/04/2010 at 12:16 PM.
Except that they won't win 9-10 seats and the north of Ireland is not like the rest of Britain, so why should the latter's main parties waste time on an electorate most of them or their voters don't especially want!
Apart from the Tory/UUP seats, Cameron will almost certainly be able to call on those won by the DUP and TUV. Of the likely 10-11 Unionist and Tory MPs, only one (Sylvia Hermon) has admitted a preference for new Labour.
Cameron isn't wasting much time on it, he doesn't really need to.
Labour and the LibDems (and UKIP, and Green) should stand across Northern Ireland. In the case of the bigger two, it offers everyone the chance to vote for or against the likely government; even for the smaller parties, it would strengthen their claim to be nationally representative. For national parties, the extra costs for deposits etc. are small beer.
Last edited by Schumi; 28/04/2010 at 1:33 PM.
We're not arrogant, we're just better.
Ha! And to think somebody said Cameron didn't waste time thinking about NI politicians.
#NeverStopNotGivingUp
Except they and their voters aren't interested. It's only the dinosaurs and theirs that are.
Though the unionist (& Tory) voters and their aspiring leaders are well summarised by Schumi's photo....though c*nts might be more apt!
The media seem to have gone haywire about "bigotgate" - can't see it changing things in the long term, but Labour might be down 2% for a few days.
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