4 thoughts on “Twitter: The View From …”

  1. Joe Loy

    or, maybe Not —

    A story about David Cameron ‘doing a deal’ with the DUP has been described as “tiresome and rubbish” by the Conservatives.

    A Tory spokesperson said: “The fact is that David Cameron believes in the deal he has got with the Ulster Unionists.

    “It is clear that these briefings are coming from the DUP to try to de-stabilise our relationship with the Ulster Unionists.”

    See, in this election the UUP modProds [ProdMods? :] have Coalesced with the Tories to present themselves as the UCU in hopes of snagging more than the One seat they Clung to in 2005:

    The Ulster Conservatives and Unionists (UCU) electoral link-up between the UUP and Conservatives was forged in 2008.

    Out of its 17 general election candidates, 15 come from the Ulster Unionist Party and two from the Tories.

    In the last general election, the UUP was reduced from five sitting MPs to one.

    Lady Sylvia Hermon was elected in North Down in 2005, but she has declined to represent UCU as she does not support the Conservatives.

    Lady Hermon, however, is seeking re-election as an Independent, which could queer the deal in North Down for the UCU. Especially considering that having been elected MP as the UUP candidate in 2001, she got Re-elected in 2005 with a handsome 50.4% of the vote. (Absolute Majorites are rare in NI.) Against her in North Down, the UCU coalition is running one of its 2 actual Conservative-Party-member candidates. Chap name of Ian Parsley. No, really. Ian Parsley. Maybe That’ll work. 😉 This Parsley’s not a Reverend, though. Runs a Public Relations firm. Solid citizen and all that sort of rot eh wot? :>

    There are 18 NI Westminster Constituencies being filled today. Near as I can figure (margin for Error here please, I haven’t found it Summarized so I tried to Count ’em 🙂 the present Party lineup — no wait, the Former party lineup, before the Queen Dissolved all the Incumbents (see comments 4 & 5 🙂 — was DUP 9, SF 5, SDLP 2 (that’s the PolitePapists :), UUP 1 (Lady Hermon, modProd ;), and I haven’t found an 18th but I Think there’s a additional, “new”, NI district this time. (Which of course Alters all the Other ones.)

    Now here’s the Thing:

    This is the first Westminster election that Sinn Fein has fought without the IRA in existence.

    Led by Gerry Adams, the party remains committed to its abstentionist policy, with all of its MPs refusing to attend Westminster.

    It is running candidates in 17 out of 18 Northern Ireland’s constituencies.

    Now, it’s All very Well to take no MP’s Oath just to Please the bloody Queen and so forth ;> but it would seem to Spot the Unionists a rather considerable Advantage (in addition to their near-certain Election-Results one) over the Nationalists in terms of potential Coalition-building. Iow SF can’t very well Coalesce with (let’s just say) Labour & LibDems & SDLP & ScotNats & Plaid Cymru ;], to gain concessions & keep the Tories out of Power, if Adams & Co. aren’t There, now, Can they? No. Well there you Are then aren’t you. Yes. Thenkyewveddymuch indeed.

    But of course I don’t know how, or Whether, Abstentionist seats are Counted as regards what constitutes the Numerical Majority necessary to govern. Given that precedentally the SF seats are Not declared Vacant — there’d be no Point because SF would just win the ensuing By-elections & abstain again, and Again, etc. — I should think that such seats Would be counted in the Total of which a Majority is needed to elect a PM.

    (!!!) Which if so, would mean in effect that SF Abstentionism could, theoretically, deny ANY party a Governing, PM-selecting, majority of the total House of Commons! Creating Chaos for the Crown! “England’s Difficulty is Ireland’s Opportunity.” ~ Eamonn de Valera. / Maybe Gerry’s not so dumb after all. A Hung Parliament, to be sure to be Sure!

    🙂

  3. Joe Loy

    Alasdair, sure’n it Is, begob. 🙂

    OTOH, over across the Irish Sea in actual Britain :> an actual Green Party contender, Caroline Lucas, has won her Party’s first-ever Westminster seat, in the consitutency of Brighton Paviluon.

    And OTOOH, First minister and DUP leader Peter Robinson’s entire future in politics is under threat after he lost the Westminster seat he held for 31 years.
    Alliance deputy leader Naomi Long is the new MP for East Belfast.     As I Roared out at me Wife: “Leanna! The Paisleyite First Minister of Norn Iron has been whupped by the Non-sectarian Allliance Party candidate! The Alliance Party aligns itself with neither the Orange nor the Green! This is Astonishing!!” / To which Herself calmly replied (approximately 🙂 , “Oh. So you mean, the Winner represents the White in the flag’s Middle.” That’s True, by God. Bedad but didn’t I marry a Wise woman, / And at the Time I didn;t even know she was going to be Jewish. :}

  4. Alasdair

    {tasteful reference to the visual cue not being as obvious removed in the interests of this being a family blog}

    I tend to think more of the winner as representing a clean start, a tabula rasa, with the old sectarian rivalries dying off even as those who perpetUated (and perpetRated) the sectarian excesses are dying off …

    When it comes to choosing a holiday place, isn’t Torquay the second last resort, and Brighton the last resort ?

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