Tweeted tonight by the DUP:
“We’re delighted that Nigel Lutton will be an agreed unionist candidate in the Mid Ulster by-election.”
John McAllistar has resigned tonight. Immediate effect. Live. On the BBC. All eyes will be on Basil McCrea next. Mike Nesbitt is starting to make Tom Elliot look competent. That is some achievement. Perhaps the only achievement I can think of so far on his part.
Not a word from the UUP who’s press office have obviously outsourced their function to, eh, the DUP press office. Fun and games in Unionism has given way to farce. The UUP have now moved from the position of contesting marginal seats where a possible unionist unity candidate may win to one where they have no chance whatsoever. This will be interesting. It is a surrender of any pretence on the part of the UUP that there is any difference between them and the DUP. Indeed why is there any longer a need for a UUP?
Nesbitt is surely a busted flush at this point. This is decision time for Basil McCrea. If he doesn’t seize this moment it will be gone. My guess is he will be gone within in 24 hours. Possibly, as predicted here earlier, to realign Unionism.
UPDATE: The UUP have made this announcement on their website. No comment whatsoever on their latest resignation. The sound of contented cooing from the DUP nest is palpable in my opinion. Unionist unity may be closer than TV Mike thinks.
FURTHER UPDATE: Basil McCrea has resigned from the party. Announced on the Nolan Show on the BBC. Friday morning Feb 15th
"We in coming days may be" 
Let the fun and games begin.
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This is better than Mrs Brown’s boys 😉
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Live heart surgery is funnier than Mrs Brown’s Boys.
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Yer Man: Lie down there and take off yer knickers.
Herself: Does that mean I have to get them out of my handbag and put them on first?
I dont watch it regulalry – but yon line above, for example is a screamer.
ps If you say you dont like Father Ted as well – then you will have to be sent off re-programming.
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So Nigel Lutton, the joint-Unionist candidate, is the son of a slain RUC officer, a former liaison-officer with the Northern Ireland Police Fund, a former volunteer with the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association (run by the British MoD), a former British Army reserve soldier, a researcher for the DUP, a co-ordinator with the group South Down Action for Healing Wounds (which is linked to Willie Frazer’s FAIR) and a believer that “IRA spy-rings” have deterred former members of the British Forces resident in the north-east of Ireland seeking medical help over the last decade.
Good to see that the DUP’s “Catholic outreach” is going as well as ever…
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Chris Ryder…
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That’s Peters legendary strategic planning in action for you…..
If you didn’t see the funny side you’d despair.
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I don’t understand the reference to Lutton in the tweet.Can anyone explain?
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Fair play to Jon McCallister for his decisive action. Surely time Basil McCrea ceased dithering.
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Looks like Basil has made his mind up to act:
“Basil McCrea on Nolan ” john and i intend to form a real, viable opposition, hopefully with other people”
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Unless SF (or the SDLP ) can mirror the growth in the size of the DUP which is probably inevitable form these reallignments, then it will be diffiucult for Nats to maintain any politcal growth – there is little need for 2 ‘big’ Nat parties which are mirror image of FF and FG – whose only real disctinction is ‘what they did in the war’.
Basil and John should just join Aliliance who are in reality a Unionist party who have dropped the designation in Stormo – but from the Nat side of the fence lets hope for yet another Unionist party.
A potential problem for Nats (and the SDLP in particular) is that both Basil and John sound very much like the kind of reasonable people that some Nats would have little trouble voting for and unless the SDLP can match that level of reasonableness (and it is not clear they can/want to at the moment) then some ‘moderate’ Nats may very well well end up voting for a Basil-and-John type Unionist party.
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If they get catholic as well as protestant support it could pave the way to a looser centre ground which could make politics more interesting. Sinn Féin would need to pitch in for protestant votes north of the border more vigorously than at present; under Mary Lou (the most likely next leader and who does not carry baggage) this is tenable.
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I think you may be underestimating the strength of Unionist feeling towards SF – the fact that Mary Lou has no (known) baggage wouldnt count for a great deal. SF, as far as Unionists are concerned still supported and continues to justifiy the killing of police, prison guards, soldiers and some politicians – their attitude towards a party supporitng/involved in such actions hasn’t gone away you know.
SF will perhaps have more to worry about within the Nat camp if the border poll fiasco is an indicator of future intentions.
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Gerry Adams enjoys an almost presidential role within the nationalist community north of the border; the interests of the nationalist people are bound up in the interests of Sinn Féin.
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Here ya go again Factual, thanks for telling us all how Gerry is perceived by Nationalists “north of the border” and where the best interests of nationalists lie.
All without any evidence, or rationale whatsoever.
PS: Your suggested name for a new party, the CD’s……catchy 😉
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They have advocated civic unionism so Civic Democrats (or CD’s) seems a good name. They could call themselves Progressive Democrats or PDs. (Most people up there probably don’t know about the PDs of the south)
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Factual,
Please tell me you are taking the proverbial. Please? Help…Anyone???
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What, do you think the defunct PDs have a brand identity north of the border?
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Lets just say that yes, believe it or not, most people in the north east HAVE heard of the PD’s. I believe the name Michael McDowell may bring back some memories
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I wonder what they will call the new Unionist party? I mean a lot of titles have already been taken. In fact why call it a Unionist party. Basil seems fond of using the term Northern Ireland so I guess that Ulster won’t figure in the new title. A party which starts off with 3 MLAs and maybe a MP if they can get Lady Hermon onboard could be viable.
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I think they could call themselves the CDP. The Civic Democrats.
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Someone on boards.ie suggested this, to be honest.
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Anybody see Nesbitt on UTV tonight he would not answer a question from Marc Mallett because he said it came from Basil McCrea what a plank that man is.
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Nesbitt has refused to rule out anymore joint DUP/UUP candidates in future elections. Mike Nesbitt is Peter Punts political poodle.
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Agreed. Nesbitt is now toast. Once a party leader is perceived as weak he or she has had it electorally.
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Read this Hoboroad, and also Fear Feirsteach in answer to your earlier question:
http://www.tommymckearney.com/blog/from-lord-edward-to-tv-mike.html
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Possibly worth pointing out that the individual that writes that blog is not supportive of SF.
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Thanks Factual,
That is indeed relevant. I welcome a Sinn Fein perspective as indeed I welcome all others.
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Dub,
Do not be fooled by that eejit factual. She is no Shinner.
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McKearney’s blog makes for interesting reading, with he being from the Moy. So the unionists have decided to make this election into a re-run of the 1970s – the Glenanne gang versus the Provos. No wonder John McCallister and Basil McCrea walked out.
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If there is to be a new Unionist Party built upon the popularity of McAllistar/McClarty/McCrea, they will be bound as a point of principle to contest every Westminister seat, even very marginal ones like North Belfast. After all, the final straw for them was the UUP’s backing of Unity Candidates and what they maintain is setting the two communities against each other. Until now smaller Unionist parties such as the TUV haven’t dared invoke the wrath of Unionists by fileding candidates in such circumstances. Will the Blessed Trinity have the courage of their convictions?
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Another Unionist party is always welcome and particulalry so in NB – but I think they may cite ‘practical’ reasons for not contesting where they deem it unwise (or perhaps unsafe).
With NB – interesting what will hppen there with the UUP as Deputy Dodsy is hardly an agreed candidate.
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The state of the UUP in that constituency can hardly be great. No one would call Fred Cobain a political giant, but he was still the Ulster Unionist standard-bearer in North Belfast. His going to the DUP won’t have boosted flagging UUP support.
I take your point that the new Basil/David/John tendency may hide behind ‘inability to field a candidate’ in the most controversial seats. That will damage their credibility, though. I suppose it all depends on what formation they choose. What they’ve said so far suggests a full-blooded political party rather than an alliance of like-minded independents. It’s going to be interesting.
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Mike Nesbitt is an almost impossible position. He may have made the right choice in (effectively) oxtering oot the 3 reasonable men on the basis that most of his(UUP) voters dont like that sort of (reasonable) thing. Perhaps he reckons that most reasonable Unionists dont tend to vote anyway – even if there is a reasonable alternative.
So I woudlnt declare the UUP dead – just yet. If however they dont field a candidate in North Belfast or allow Deputy Dodsy to be the agreed candidate in NB I think(if they are still alive and kicking by then) that will signal unwellness very close to death.
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Its all very speculative at this stage and I doubt if they would field candidates everywhere unless they grew to be a large party.
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Is Nigel Dodds regarded particularly badly in the UUP?
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What the DUP / UUP have done in Mid-Ulster is setting the two communities against each other. They are promoting unionist victimhood while ignoring the sectarian murderer in the room – a re-run of the Troubles.
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NB*
Fear, please be careful / clarify what you are saying. There are certain legal responsibilities involved BD
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Tommy McKearney’s blog explains all. The unionists are playing a very dirty game.
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re. “They are promoting unionist victimhood while ignoring the sectarian murderer in the room – a re-run of the Troubles.”
That is true, but I think we also need to acknowledge that a substantial section of Unionists view SF as involved in or apologists for what they see as a sectarian murder campaign against them and that SF (even if they didnt stand someone allegedly linked with that campaign and the death of the (now) Unionists candidate’s father) are already ‘setting the two communities against each other’.
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Sammy,
If your point is correct, and I think there is truth in it, why then do the Unionist parties treat the SDLP in exactly the same way as they treat SF? Also nobody has yet picked up on the possibility on the new “3Mac” party fielding a candidate in mid ulster, stranger things have happened
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The Unionist party actually did not stand aside to keep the SDLP out in South Belfast i beiieve even though SF did the right thing and stood aside to keep a unionist out there at the last Westminster election, ensuring the SDLP got the seat.
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re. “If your point is correct, and I think there is truth in it, why then do the Unionist parties treat the SDLP in exactly the same way as they treat SF? ”
The debate on that point could be conducted on anumber of levels – but let me give you 2 examples which points to the ‘unique’ view of Unionists in relation to SF’s invovlement in politics. Firstly, the UUP nearly (and arguably did) destroyed itself in going into goverment with SF before decommissioning(the SDLP had no guns – that we know about anyway) and secondly in order to justify going into government with SF the DUP had to ‘have a battle a day’ with SF.
It would be a classic piece of Nat Denial to not accept that Unionists are likley to have far more serious problems with a party that – as far as Unionists are concerned – led a murder campaign against them – and that such problems are not abvious from the 2 examples above?
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Sammy,
The unionists seem to have plumped for a campaign based around hearsay allegations against the SF candidate, the same SF candidate who, with their approval, has been operating as Deputy Speaker of the Assembly. Hearsay is worth nothing. If they are intent on dragging up the past / playing the victim card nationalists will observe their candidate’s ex-UDR uncle is a convicted sectarian murderer.
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re. “Hearsay is worth nothing.”
Accoding to wiki Francie Molloy was a member of the IRA and as a member of SF would(anyway) view (irrespective of his own alleged involvement) the operations carried out, including the shooting of ex-service personnel in his constituency as ‘legitimate’ – I say that as a matter of reasonable deduction – not pejoratively.
Nats (including myself) may be content to elect SF becuase of/in spite of their past but lets not deny that from a Unionist perspective that may be very difficult to come to terms with.
Given that background – I dont think we can fairly say (as below) – without taking into account the context outlined above.
“What the DUP / UUP have done in Mid-Ulster is setting the two communities against each other.”
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Unsourced Wikipedia is equivalent to hearsay. David Simpson does not have the courage to repeats his claims about Molloy outside of Parliament. Sinn Féin clearly regard them as nonsense.
Many people in this country have been put in an early grave as a result of hearsay. Indeed Simpson’s cousin might well have been one of them. Simpson has dragged this election into the toilet. Let’s hope he remembers to flush the chain.
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whoops, pull the chain
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“Unsourced Wikipedia is equivalent to hearsay. David Simpson does not have the courage to repeats his claims about Molloy outside of Parliament. Sinn Féin clearly regard them as nonsense”
Gerry’s entry in wiki describes his membership of the IRA as ‘alleged’ it is reasonable to assume that Pat like Marty’s entry in Wiki is not contesting his own membership – because he is proud of it.
But the point still stands about SF – Nats may deny the strength of Unionist feeling against ex-combatants or alleged ex-combatants to stand in elections – but that is just part of the rich tapestry of double standards and denial that runs through poltical discourse – on both sides of the poltical divide.
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Sammy,
You’re just lending credence to scurrilous claims David Simpson made under parliamentary privelege, including the potentially lethal claim that Molloy was an informer.
Now you may have an intense dislike of Sinn Féin and what it stands for. That is your right. But, like I said before, there are plenty of people in this country who have been sent to an early grave by malicious hearsay. You should reflect on that before attempting to justify the conduct of the uniionsit parties here.
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oops,
should have read
Gerry’s entry in wiki describes his membership of the IRA as ‘alleged’ it is reasonable to assume that Francie’s like Marty’s entry in Wiki is not contesting his own membership – because he is proud of it.
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Do you have a source, other than Wikipedia, for your claim that Molloy was a member of the IRA?
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re. “Now you may have an intense dislike of Sinn Féin and what it stands for. That is your right.”
I support SF but not uncritically.I think that those SF members that dont bother to amend their wiki entry(e.g. Marty and Francie) that states they were members of the IRA were probably members of the IRA.
..and I hope Francie romps home.
re. “You should reflect on that before attempting to justify the conduct of the uniionsit parties here.”
I dont think we as Nats can expect to elect a party which is linked to the IRA campaign and not expect Unionists to stand someone to try and embarass them over it.
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Sounds to me like you are justifying Simpson’s poisonous stunt. The man is not so keen to examine the record of the so-called ‘security forces’ – and no wonder why!
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re. “The man is not so keen to examine the record of the so-called ‘security forces’ – and no wonder why!”
As I said above there is a
“rich tapestry of double standards and denial that runs through poltical discourse – on both sides of the poltical divide.”
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I find your argument that merely by standing in this election, SF are “setting the two communities against each other” bizarre and undemocratic. The only person who is linking Francie Molloy to the murder of Mr Lutton’s father is David Simpson. No evidence has been advanced in support his claim.
Can you come up with something better than a plague on both your houses?
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My views on what voting/electing SF actually means – and it is within that context that Unionist responses can arguably be viewed.
http://threethousandversts.blogspot.co.uk/2011/08/guest-post-what-does-vote-for-sinn-fein.html
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Sorry but the record will show that unionists were bigoted as hell before the Provos came along. Excusing unionist bigotry by saying it’s all the Provos’ fault is just dishonest.
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re. “Sorry but the record will show that unionists were bigoted as hell before the Provos came along. Excusing unionist bigotry by saying it’s all the Provos’ fault is just dishonest.”
My point is this – that the statment
“What the DUP / UUP have done in Mid-Ulster is setting the two communities against each other.”
I dont think that reflects the full context – there are many components in the complex that make up Unionist attitudes to SF including bigotry against Nats and Catholics but just becuase it is politically embarassing we cant leave out a significant factor – namely that many Unionists are bitter against SF for the role they played/or the support they gave for the killing of their relatives and their community – that is simply human nature and mirror image of that is to be found on the Nat side of the fence.
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Sammy, it seems to me you are suggesting that Sinn Féin should withdraw from politics (again). And then everything willl be huny-dory.
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hunky-dory
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Not forgetting of course that, thanks to the campaign the two main unionist parties have decided to fight, more people are going to vote Sinn Féin than otherwise would have done.
I will take all of the above back if David Simpson repeats his allegations outside of Parliament and provides credible evidence to substantiate them.
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re. “Sammy, it seems to me you are suggesting that Sinn Féin should withdraw from politics (again). And then everything willl be huny-dory.”
Eh No, I simply stating that when you conduct a guerrilla war and / or support a guerrilla war – then those who are nearby and often in the firing line and support those you are fighting against – are not likley to be best pleased with you – even allowing for the fact that you have stopped that guerrilla war and even after a considerable lapse of time.
That is background, in my opinion, to many elections in the North in which SF are involved – to try and put such strength of Unionist feeling down to simple ‘bigotry’ is to misunderstand the horrible realities of wars – guerrilla and otherwise and particulalry those that are at least part civil in nature and especially where there is tangled and bitter history.
In spite of your suggestions to the contrary – none of the above is incompatible with my support for SF – or my desire to see the boul Francie returned with a bigger majority.
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Much as I’m enjoying reading this eh, frank exchange of views, having just returned from work, is it not the point that whoever is elected by the voters deserves the respect and engagement of the other parties of whatever side?
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You are forgetting that neither the DUP not the UUP accept that there was any kind of war, reject out of hand any suggestion of security-forces atrocities (such as those engaged in by the candidate’s uncle) and categtorically reject the idea of a Truth Commission. Indeed the DUP’s idea of a truth commission seems to involve abusing parliamentary privelege to accuse people of committing murder, being informers, etc, without having to produce a shred of evidence to support these claims.
The unionists intend turning this election into the trial of Francie Molloy. There is every liklihood the jury of Mid-Ulster will acquit.
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re.
“You are forgetting that neither the DUP not the UUP accept that there was any kind of war, reject out of hand any suggestion of security-forces atrocities (such as those engaged in by the candidate’s uncle) and categtorically reject the idea of a Truth Commission. Indeed the DUP’s idea of a truth commission seems to involve abusing parliamentary privelege to accuse people of committing murder, being informers, etc, without having to produce a shred of evidence to support these claims.”
… this is about the 4th time you have suggested or incorreclty assumed something about I said or thought- it is classic straw man stuff laced with a large dollop of whataboutery.
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OK, Sammy, have it your way. There is nothing at all bigoted, unjust or divisive about the way the DUP and UUP have chosen to fight this election. It is perfectly reasonable to accuse Francie Molloy of murdering someone and of being an informer without producing a shred of evidence.
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For what it’s worth, I am with Fear Feirsteach on this one, despite that Sammy appears to have a fan club judging by the thumbs up barometer 😉
Francie Molloy as far as I am concerned, is a victim of abuse of parliamentary privelige. If anyone has an allegation let it be made openly. Back it up. That’s no more than I ask of Factual, for example, here. The fact is that so far the entire campaign is being dictated by this rather than what actually matters.
Sammy, I’ll tell you a secret, I object to ex UDR Majors and unreconstructed bigots being elected as representatives of political unionism. I have no problem with the rights of unionists to elect them. I expect the same courtesy to be afforded to those who I vote for
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…thats another couple of straw men to add to your impressive total.
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It’s just what you have been suggesting, Sammy. I don’t see you objecting to the smear campaign against Molloy – not a bit of it.
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re. “is it not the point that whoever is elected by the voters deserves the respect and engagement of the other parties of whatever side?”
There appear to be a number of points on offer here – one of which was rasied at high noon (see above) with our goodself and has not as yet had a reply?
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Sammy, Your point made at high noon is an internal unionist problem. Political unionism has consistently demonised nationalists. It in no way prepared or explained to its own electorate that it would have to deal with the elected representatives of nationalism, whoever that may be. It perpetuated the myth of the “divine right to govern” and it singularly failed in a fundamental way to prepare its people for the fact that they are now in a minority, hence the confusion now. It is not the job of nationalist politicians to patronise or lecture unionists. It is a responsibility of unionists to recognise the fundamental changes that have occurred and will accellerate in the years to come
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BD,
i dont quite get how you can construe confronting what is clearly an uncomfortable conecept for Nats (judging by the evasion and denial littered about above) as “patronising or lecturing unionists”?
… do you not think that Unionists are likely to feel bitter about having members of their family/community killed and Nats electing those people who either organised or continue to defend those killing?
It is quite simple really – people dont like having their own killed and gernerally feel bitter about those that did the killing or condone it and that is true for Unionists in midulster just as it is true for Nats who had their families killed by memebers of the security forces.
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And still you refuse to condemn the campaign of unsubstantiated smears against Francie Molloy!
Spare a thought too for Patsy McGlone, who’s meagre hopes have now disappeared in smoke. What did he do to deserve being made collateral damage in political unionism’s scorched earth campaign of vilification against Mid-Ulster nationalists?
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Sammy,
“what is clearly an uncomfortable conecept for Nats (judging by the evasion and denial littered about above) as “patronising or lecturing unionists”?” What? Where?
The rest of your comment I understand. My response is simple. Nationalists have every right to elect whoever they see fit. How unionists respond to that is a matter for themselves.
The selection of a candidate who, so far appears to be standing purely on the basis that he is not a nationalist and who qualifies as a “victim” is a dereliction of responsible democracy in my view and an attempt to sectarianise the election. I am sure there are many nationalist voters who also would describe themselves as “victims”. Move on
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BD,
I asked now asked you a farily simple question about 3 times
“… do you not think that Unionists are likely to feel bitter about having members of their family/community killed and Nats electing those people who either organised or continue to defend those killing? ”
to which you have now replied.
“How unionists respond to that is a matter for themselves.”
I think a fair evaluation of that response would be to describe it as evasive – I think it also reasonable to conclude that the reason for such evasion is that – there is clealry only one credible answer to it.
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The most bizarre thing about this is your stated intention to vote Sinn Féin regardless.
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Sammy,
Very quick and easy answer to that. I have no wish to be evasive. Yes. The question is framed like all the best and worst opinion poll questions, in emotive language which any reasonable person could only respond to in the affirmative. As you are well aware the question is not that simple. Asking a simplistic one sided question is worthy of the Bel Tel. My point is that there are victims on all sides.
You are actually encouraging the view that some victims matter more. I disagree. The evidence is that certain members of the mid ulster unionist candidates family may have questions to answer in this regard also as highlighted above.
If I posted an opinion poll here with a question such as:
Do you consider that Unionists or Nationalists have suffered more since the partition of Ireland?
Would it perhaps elicit a different response?
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Methinks your blog may have been discovered by the Unionist Unity campaign team 🙂
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I think you may be right! Fair play, I hope they comment 😉 Sammy loves a good argument which is as it should be. I’d love someone to come on here and back him up sometimes
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Well, whoever it is I am doing a good job of winding them up. 😉
Here’s something further for them to think about
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Troubles_in_Charlemont
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Further food for thought from Wikipedia as recommended by Sammy:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glenanne_gang
Note the entry “Joey Lutton”.
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BD,
The reason for the ‘simplistic’ question is that there is considerable denial about the strength of Unionist feeling that exists about SF candidates i.e. simplistic and onesided views and deflection from any consideration of themmuns point of view.
Where did you get the following straw-man arguement from?
“You are actually encouraging the view that some victims matter more.”
Do you really think that suggesting that unionist might feel bitter about people who were involved in the killing of their family/community or support that killing is suggesting that?
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Sammy I am happy to engage with unionists who are happy to engage with me!
I in no way deny their strength of feeling or their antipathy towards figures within SF. I am not a member of SF or any other party. I object to their antipathy towards me as a nationalist. I object to their monoplisation of the term victim and I object to their denial of their misrule over 80 years. They feel bitter? Yes I acknowledge and understand that certainly. When are they going to acknowledge and understand what they bear responsibility for?
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So how does this check out as political strategy, Sammy? Or does it?
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Click to access KaysInterim.pdf
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re. “So how does this check out as political strategy, Sammy? Or does it?”
I’m not sure what exactly you are referring to there. My concluding remarks on this little spat are.
I think we need to make a distinction between the type of bigoted ‘Unionist’ behaviour that leads a band to play sectarian tunes outside St Pats in Belfast and some/many mid-ulster constituents not wanting a (violent) fenian/someone who was involved or supported a killing campaign which they see as directed against their community – as their elected MP.
Failing to acknowledge this type of distinction and convienetly putting it all down to Unionist bigotry and historical desire for domination smacks more of the usual ongoing Ulster version of Animal farm – where it is always ussuns good and themmuns bad.
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What I was referring to was unionist political strategy, Sammy. What are they offering their people apart from: Sinn Féin are evil baddies, we are whiter than white? After all, it’s not as if Sinn Féin are about to stop contesting elections.
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It’s hardly a secret what emotions the DUP / UUP are trying to exploit among the electorate. Perhaps you could address their motivation for doing it.
After all Francie Molloy has been quietly performing his DUP / UUP approved role as Deputy Speaker at Stormont for the last few years – and I’m sure you know that.
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If you read nothing else today, please read Mike Nesbitt’s article in the newsletter today. It is the mother of all electorate insulting comments. He basically says no one has ever asked him about issues because they only vote orange or green.
I only wish the interviewer had followed it up by saying, well if that’s the case, that voting orange is the primary consideration, then doesn’t that make a choice of unionist candidates all the more important?
Really hope as many unionists as possible in mid Ulster read it. If you wanted him to write an article to piss off as many dyed-in-the-wool unionists as possible, he would write this.
“The Ulster Unionist Party – We explain bigotry, so you don’t have to. “
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Links below to the relevant Newsletter article by Mike Nesbitt and also by An Sionnach Fionn regarding unionist unity and family connections in Mid Ulster.
http://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/headlines/policies-don-t-swing-voters-nesbitt-1-4806712
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Good lord, that must rank as one of the worse interviews with a politician I’ve ever read. He’s just thrown the UUP policies back by about thirty years or more. Even the terminology is anachronistic. The innate sense of superiority and complete dismissal of the full gamut of politics is just staggering. How is this man the leader of a still major political party?
And what does this say about Unionism as a political and ethno-cultural ideology?
Oh well, at least he tangentially recognises the legitimacy of Ireland’s national flag as it relates to all the inhabitants of our island-nation. Orange and green and white between.
Does this mean we can have it flying from Belfast City Hall before St. Patrick’s Day and Easter Monday? Where is the joint SF and SDLP motion?! 😉
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I have to admit I found the interview revealing. I am coming to a view that the lack of historical perspective and a broader sense of the real world informs unionist opinion.
It’s actually quite scary. I have had conversations about how history is taught in state schools and quite frankly it makes my hair stand on end
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An interesting addition to the Unity Candidate debate. http://www.portadowntimes.co.uk/news/local/time-for-a-unionist-unity-candidate-in-upper-bann-mp-1-4815133
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