Conservatives and Unionists, meanwhile, maintain that every elector in Northern Ireland should be given an opportunity to vote for a candidate who can form part of the next Government. It is an aim in which the parties have too much invested to backtrack. In the wake of allegations over the DUP meeting the Tories have reaffirmed that all 18 constituencies here will be contested by UCUNF at the election.Still, despite the wild speculation from those who should know better, no pact then. You also get the impression that the DUPes are at risk of wrecklessly spinning themselves into a very uncomfortable cul-de-sac.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Quote of the day
Owen Polley in the Belfast Telegraph:
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"As soon as the approaches were made through intermediaries, they got a very good response on all sides," one Conservative source said.
"Initially the desire was to do everything possible to ensure that the institutions were kept going, but it became apparent that there was a strong feeling that the time had come to consider the relationship between the main unionist parties.
"There was an open agenda, it is a matter for the parties where they take this – it could lead to an electoral pact, a full-blown alliance or indeed the formation of a single party.
"But there was a feeling that unionists need to play a part in the national scene, through the Conservative Party. The talks are ongoing."
http://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/Hopes-raised-of-proUnion-pact.6000340.jp
Ah, the ubiquitous Conservative "source" strikes again...
Penultimate sentence is interesting though:
"But there was a feeling that unionists need to play a part in the national scene, through the Conservative Party."
That was the feelings of the Dupes present? Something Ian P Jr appears to have forgotten when he embarked on his little spin exercise yesterday- as I implied at the end of the post the DUPs are in a different league now; try their little games with the likes of Coulson and Co and let's see where they end up. In fact, I believe there is already a amount of paranoia already in certain DUP circles about Andy Coulson's dark arts?
I'd be quite surprised if the DUP were in anyway serious about merging with the Conservatives. There has always been a strong working class dimension to thier support that will look at Cameron with scepticism. Would this segment look the other way because they had their feet under the cabinet table in Downing St? I doubt it. Rev I Paisley must be wondering where it all went wrong.
The suggestion of a Unionist monolith party is a mirage out of the 1930's that ignored some of the worse social problems that led to social unrest through outdoor relief riots!
The real winners out of any merger will be Alliance or TUV.
The real winners out of any merger will be Alliance or TUV.
Joe,
Long-term the real winners would be Irish nationalism.
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