It didn’t take long for their propaganda department to roll into action and with the help of DU- Pravda, the digs, threats and insults have been flowing into the public domain. Paisley takes the Josef Stalin line towards the concept of the open society and has been quite clear what is expected from not only the apparatchiks, but also the faithful party organ:
“And I hope the News Letter leaves them alone and does not give pre-eminence to these people who are not in a position to deserve pre-eminence. Because they do not have support,” said Mr. Paisley.
Is he right?
At the minute, probably, or at least “T.U.V.” obviously feel they haven’t got enough support yet to chance transforming the “movement” into a political party ready to challenge the DUP at the ballot box. He may possess the engaging personality of a slab of concrete, but Jim Allister is an astute operator; as one of the very few MEPS to have grasped the intricacies of the EUs’ CAP and Fisheries Policy, his intellect is clearly working on a different level from the likes of Willie McCrea or Paisley Jr. And unless Brown and NULabour implode, we are at least two years away from the next election, so Allister will be working on the premise that a lot of damage can be caused in that time to the DUP’s standing amongst the more reactionary, yet still loyal, wing of their following. There are several (very) cross-community battles ahead and things are only going to get more tempestuous in the Assembly, especially if the UUP do the right thing and pull out of the Executive, leaving the DUP-SF axis pulling into two completely opposite directions. To date the DUP electorate has been, by and large, like a flock of sheep that blindly follow the Good Shepherd Paisley, but even so, the DUP’s strategy boys are going to have their work cut out in the next 12 months to reduce the damage caused by Allister and TUV’s sniping, when things inevitably start to unravel
But apart from (the always enjoyable to watch) winding up of the DUPes, has “Traditional Unionist Voice” anything worthwhile to offer to Northern Irish Unionism?
It all depends on how they define that “Traditional”, the fact that the Grandmaster of the Orange Order has endorsed the “movement”, makes me think, for example, that they are not really up for opening the portals of Unionism to potential “non-traditional” (if you catch my drift) voters. “Traditional Ulster Voice” is also pledged to a “devolved” government in Northern Ireland, but only on the basis “practiced in the rest of the UK”- they give no indication how they intend to pull that impressive trick off. “Traditional” Ulster Unionism has also always in the past been a bit too fond of the old navel-gazing, the fight for the Union is now UK-wide and none of the participants on the TUV project really strike me as being capable of contributing to that effort.
But despite those pretty fundamental reservations, I welcome the fact that there is now a challenge from the right to the DUP oligarchy. Despite that “D” supposedly standing for “Democratic”, the DUP has, over the years, attempted to smother all Unionist opinion other than their own, meaning that until now we have had a very narrow range of options on offer to the electorate- ironically it may well be that it is the "ethnic" or “prodiban” (as opposed to the liberal and civic) wing of Unionism which has the ability to finally break this damaging stalemate.
An increasing diversity of unionist opinion being heard in the public space can only be to the movement's overall benefit
4 comments:
My feelings accord fairly closely with your own O'Neill. The main value I see in the new movement is that it may allow an "honest home" for hardline anti-agreement types. I'd hope that this softens up the DUP from one direction whilst the UUP embrace an explicitly civic platform and attack from the other direction.
Surely, with the arrival of TUV, all you have is another Unionist group who's core existence is based on its policy towards the Union.
Where are their policies on health, education, transport, economics, migration, inflation, rates, foreign policy, etc etc....
How can TUV ever exert an influence without morphing into a political party. And in the eventuality that they do morph into a party, is it likely that any real consideration will be put into the issues that should concern people the most from day to day.
Surely the people are crying out for a political party with real policies. A modern party, with solid ideas in how to deliver the solutions to the problems NI needs to resolve. Yes, a policy will be needed on the Union, but should that continue to be the policy where most time and effort is invested.
I think comparing Paisley's attitude towards his party members as Soviet, is very apt. And "Jim Allister is an astute operator; as one of the very few MEPS to have grasped the intricacies of the EUs’ CAP and Fisheries Policy, his intellect is clearly working on a different level from the likes of Willie McCrea or Paisley Jr." Hhaha INDEED!!
Kloot
Surely the people are crying out for a political party with real policies
You'd like to hope so, but in reality the two main parties are experts at discretely playing the sectarian card and reducing everything to the old prod v catholic (never mind unionist v nationalist) nil-sum game crushing along the way anything or anyone that might challenge their hegemony. They're able to do this because their respective almost monopolistic position in both communities prevents any new ideas or political philosophies emerging into the public spaces.
TUV are certainly not going to transmorph into a recognisable party with real objective policies on the economy etc...what they might do though is create the means by which the DUP's almost complete dominance of the Unionism in NI is challenged, allowing more enlightened and diverse ideas to creep through the splits.
Anyway, that's the hope.
a-r
You should read Jim Allister's website, I'd disagree with him on almost all his policies but there is clearly a very sharp legal mind at work there. Sammy Wilson even managed to turn that into a criticism "TUV's document reads exactly like a legal document", I think he meant it included such high-falluting concepts as an introduction, conclusion and clearly defined points argued in between.
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