View Single Post
  #130  
Unread 06-10-2017, 05:59 AM
Nigel Mace Nigel Mace is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: The Borders, Andalucia and Italy
Posts: 1,537
Default

With your customary solicitude for the peoples of Scotland to the fore, David, you have hit upon a bitter but limited truth. When the Tories' notorious EVEL is taken into account there are going to be many issues on which she will not command a majority - even with her deplorable alliance with the DUP.

For the benefit of members furth of these islands, the DUP has its origins in the unionist paramilitary past of the province mixed with the bigotry of the late Ian Paisley's fundamentalist unionists. They have parliamentary members who believe in 'creationism' (including an earth 4,000 years old) and would like it 'taught' in schools; they oppose abortion and equal marriage; they are climate change sceptics at best and some are deniers; they are 'Brexit' supporters (unlike the majority of people in the province); they are mired in a financial scandal which has had the effect of bringing the Northern Ireland Assembly to suspension and made their leader a person with whom Sinn Fein cannot share power - an essential for the continuation of the peace process.

The British government is supposed, along with the Irish government, to act as arbiter of the resolution of the current impasse at Stormont (the seat of the Assembly). It clearly can never be trusted in this role if its very survival depends on the loyal (pun unintended) support of one of the two parties to the dispute. The Tory/DUP alliance to give May a semi-majority (see the first point in this post) is not only an insult to the democratic process which May needlessly called into motion by her 'snap' election - but it is also displays bone-headed disregard for the complexity of the ballooning challenges of 'Brexit' and, perhaps worst of all, fatally undermines one side's trust in the peace process.

This is behaviour for which the words unprincipled and irresponsible were fashioned.
Reply With Quote