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Some good points made by new unionist leader, but are they going anywhere?

  • 06-12-2010 2:38pm
    #1
    Bottle_of_Smoke
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 9,770 ✭✭✭


    “Let no one try and say that Tom Elliott is some sort of political dinosaur, for I am not,” he asserted.

    He has taken flak for real or perceived negative views on the GAA and gays but insisted he has “never believed in an insular, closed-door unionism”.

    He also acknowledged that nationalists’ passion for a united Ireland was every bit as valid as his for the United Kingdom.

    What was crucial was that, whatever the differences in aspiration, politicians’ “collective duty must be to ensure that Northern Ireland is governed as well as it can be governed”.

    He accused the DUP and Sinn Féin of engaging in “carve-up and veto” politics and called for proper powersharing among all the parties in the Executive.

    Come next May in the Assembly elections, Elliott faces the challenge of the DUP. It will be a daunting test. There was nothing at this conference that will frighten Peter Robinson or his election strategists.

    The future of the UUP as a continuing force hinges on the party holding the 18 seats it won four years ago, and of remaining ahead of the SDLP so that it is in line to take two ministries rather than one.

    In preparation for that battle, Elliott presented himself as a solid, conservative unionist leader who has no intention of trying to “reinvent and reposition” the party.

    Extract from article http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2010/1206/1224284846491.html

    The way I see it this guy is a bit outdated, but I agree with him Sinn Fein and DUP sharing power is a disaster. Would much rather see SDLP/UUP/Alliance hold the balance of power. We'd see less vetos for the sake of them that way.

    He doesnt seem to realise DUP are always going to soak up the hardline unionist/anti-gaa/creationist voters, and UUP needs to offer an alternative to that for reasonable, modern, liberal unionists. Perhaps the first major indication of that was Alliance member Naomi Long being elected in Unionist East Belfast rather than the UUP or DUP

    Adding to this lots of liberal members of the UUP have recently left - Former Irish rugby international Trevor Ringland, Ian Parsley, Harry Hamilton and Paula Bradshaw who IIRC has now joined the alliance party.

    So basically I think they're f*cked. And too stubborn to realise they're going to be destoyed by the DUP in the elections. Hopefully a reasonable unionist party will emerge before its too late and nutjobs like the TUV start pecking at the leftovers.


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