Arlene, Edwin, her replacement and his replacement as leader of the DUP

FrancieBrady

Is this the end of Arlene Forster?

https://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/politics/arlene-fosters-time-as-dup-leader-coming-to-an-end-as-75-of-her-mlas-sign-letter-of-no-confidence-3216112

Who is her likely replacement?

I think we could possibly see a split here rather than a replacement?

circadian

Nah it'll be a replacement, it'll be the same old ****e too.

Shelga

Surprised they’re turning on her, she perfectly represents what they are all about- intransigence, blind nativism, bigotry and flag-waving.

Faugheen

Shelga wrote: »

Surprised they’re turning on her, she perfectly represents what they are all about- intransigence, blind nativism, bigotry and flag-waving.

She can never be phased either. Always seems to have an answer when she’s challenged in the media on the most inhumane views.

It’s hard to get many like that.

Looking forward to seeing what head-the-balls go for the leadership contest.

lurleen lumpkin

Faugheen wrote: »

Looking forward to seeing what head-the-balls go for the leadership contest.

Kinda hoping it's Sammy and they swiftly burn out in a fireball of their own hate.

crazy 88

Faugheen wrote: »

She can never be phased either. Always seems to have an answer when she’s challenged in the media on the most inhumane views.

It’s hard to get many like that.

True. Very had to get politicians who don't crumble or fly off the handle when faced with tough questions. Adams was the same. I don't agree with either of their parties or what they represent but they have unique talents of defending the indefensible

crazy 88

lurleen lumpkin wrote: »

Kinda hoping it's Sammy and they swiftly burn out in a fireball of their own hate.

Hopefully it is him and they quickly implode. I don't think they're that stupid though

lurleen lumpkin

crazy 88 wrote: »

I don't think they're that stupid though

They've got Edwin Poots. Anything's possible!

Dyr

She was always a bit too liberal for the DUPs liking in fairness, I dont think she really properly hated the gays or the taigs

Faugheen

crazy 88 wrote: »

Hopefully it is him and they quickly implode. I don't think they're that stupid though

Well if the final straw was her abstaining instead of voting against a ban on gay conversion therapy then anything really is possible.

Thinking Arlene Foster is too moderate is really something.

Fake Scores

Both the Yorkshire Ripper and Pol Pot are dead so that helps
narrow the field a bit for speculation.

Hurrache

Bambi wrote: »

She was always a bit too liberal for the DUPs liking in fairness, I dont think she really properly hated the gays or the taigs

She abstained on the conversion therapy vote recently, that stuck in the craw of the regular extremists in that party.
edit; Faugheen got there with that point before me.

crazy 88

Hurrache wrote: »

She abstained on the conversion therapy vote recently, that stuck in the craw of the regular extremists in that party.
edit; Faugheen got there with that point before me.

I don't know much about opinions in the north but do they actually think they have enough backward thinking voters with that frame of mind to keep them in power?? Definitely not a strong vote for that kind of stuff in the south

MadYaker

Shelga wrote: »

Surprised they’re turning on her, she perfectly represents what they are all about- intransigence, blind nativism, bigotry and flag-waving.

I love how the DUP have spent the last 4 years working their way into this position and all off a sudden now they're like "oh my god, were f*cked!"

retalivity

Faugheen wrote: »

Well if the final straw was her abstaining instead of voting against a ban on gay conversion therapy then anything really is possible.

Thinking Arlene Foster is too moderate is really something.

And then you have Jim Allister and his loopers even further to the right of the DUP.
Mad Ted.

Tyrone212

Whoever replaces her will be worst and that's saying something.

Blanco100

Foster is definitely too liberal for them. Jeffrey Donaldson is aswell so it's not going to be him.

Who are the contenders? It won't be Sammy Wilson. Possibly would've been Nigel Dodds but he wasn't elected (he's in house of Lords).

I'd say the next leader will merely be a puppet for the less palatable hard liners. Someone like Carla Lockhart. And they will trumpet the move as progressive.

blanch152

We can hope that it will continue the decline of the DUP (only caveat is that we don't want the TUV rising in its place) as the sooner the sectarian parties in the North are off the pitch the better.

As a result, not particularly bothered by her replacement.

Sadler Peak

banie01 wrote: »

Much as I'd love the entertainment value of the Gammon idiot
Doesn't the leader of the DUP need to be am MLA?
So that would exclude peers and MPs.

Poutts or Weir are surely angling for it?

Do you mean Edwin Poots ? Think he has cancer so may not be able for the job.

walshb

Shelga wrote: »

Surprised they’re turning on her, she perfectly represents what they are all about- intransigence, blind nativism, bigotry and flag-waving.

Obviously not bigoted enough!

Pandiculation

Arlene is far too reasonable for the DUP.

I tended to always assume she was 'walking the line' between being fairly copped on & maintaining power by playing to an in-house DUP audience.

If they go too extreme with their choice of leadership, they'll likely reduce their vote a lot too. I'd rather the more moderate unionists represented better though.

FrancieBrady

75% with no confidence in her...I think there is a big lurch to the right and the TUV coming here if the leadership struggle doesn't tear them apart.

Dyr

Pandiculation wrote: »

Arlene is far too reasonable for the DUP.

I tended to always assume she was 'walking the line' between being fairly copped on & maintaining power by playing to an in-house DUP audience.

If they go too extreme with their choice of leadership, they'll likely reduce their vote a lot too. I'd rather the more moderate unionists represented better though.

Its hard to be moderate when you basically told business to suck it up with Brexit but then went out out to bat for drug dealers who realised that the pesky sea border made importing coke a lot harder

Plus marching the troops up the hill with over the last few weeks didnt have any effect which is always worrying for the DUP and their community worker friends

Annasopra

Bambi wrote: »

She was always a bit too liberal for the DUPs liking in fairness, I dont think she really properly hated the gays or the taigs

Thats why they are moving against her

I know he’s not an MLA but they should roll out Gregory Campbell for the craic. He’s the biggest bigot of the lot.

Pandiculation

The more extreme the leader, the more likely it'll be the Alliance Party and UUP in office next time around, so bring it on.

alchemist33

lurleen lumpkin wrote: »

Kinda hoping it's Sammy and they swiftly burn out in a fireball of their own hate.

Quite possibly, and they don't have the insight to see that heading further back in time will eventually kill them.

FrancieBrady

The one 'moderate' they have, MP, Gavin Robinson can't really stand because he'll cause a by-election and probably hand the seat to the Alliance.

Del.Monte

Pandiculation wrote: »

The more extreme the leader, the more likely it'll be the Alliance Party and UUP in office next time around, so bring it on.

I'd say the constant shouting for a border poll will see the DUP gaining support the next time out but then I would say that wouldn't I.

Donald Trump

FrancieBrady wrote: »

Is this the end of Arlene Forster?

Whoever wants to see the end of Arlene needs their head examined or new glasses or both.






And that's without even clarifying which end of her you want to have a look at!


rear-end, front-end, whatever. Not for me. Different strokes for different folks though I guess!

Pandiculation

I'm wondering if Blackadder's aunt is available to stand?

Augme

Faugheen wrote: »

She can never be phased either. Always seems to have an answer when she’s challenged in the media on the most inhumane views.

It’s hard to get many like that.

Looking forward to seeing what head-the-balls go for the leadership contest.

It is a big help when you don't have to pretend to be humane though.

Fionn1952

Anyone who suspects Arlene is being given the boot for someone more moderate really is on a hiding to nothing.

I'd be willing to bet they're chasing the hardline vote that is drifting to TUV, presuming the Alliance drifters are a lost cause, and thinking the UUP are an irrelevant lame duck.

Odhinn

ReginaldSmythV wrote: »

I know he’s not an MLA but they should roll out Gregory Campbell for the craic. He’s the biggest bigot of the lot.

No, the worst by a long shot was/is Willie McRae.

Odhinn

Fionn1952 wrote: »

Anyone who suspects Arlene is being given the boot for someone more moderate really is on a hiding to nothing.

I'd be willing to bet they're chasing the hardline vote that is drifting to TUV, presuming the Alliance drifters are a lost cause, and thinking the UUP are an irrelevant lame duck.

Traditional Unionist Voice, aka Traditional Unionist Vocabulary (No, Never, No etc)

Zebra3

If Foster does go, she can do safe in the knowledge that there’ll be a mural of her one day on the Falls and in the Bog.

Ashes to ashes ........

CrabRevolution

Del.Monte wrote: »

I'd say the constant shouting for a border poll will see the DUP gaining support the next time out but then I would say that wouldn't I.

Every election since I've been born I've heard it said that the DUP (and UUP before that) will gain votes because they'll portray the election as an existential fight for the union. It has never come true.

Even then it doesn't really make any sense. Is there any evidence of a sizeable cohort of voters who are currently staying at home or voting Alliance who will now vote DUP because the DUP say the union is under threat? If so, why didn't they vote DUP in the last 20 elections they've been saying the union is under threat?

It's like "Italy will come good in the next few years" in the rugby. It may have been a reasonable statement decades ago, but it has never come to pass and is now a cliché that people throw out without thinking.

awec

It would have been Edwin Poots for next leader I bet if he hadn’t had the health issues.

gmisk

...if you think Arlene is bad...




(She is...but there is much much worse than her in the DUP)

gmisk

https://twitter.com/BigDirtyFry/status/1387074686824103941?s=19

Zebra3

CrabRevolution wrote: »

Every election since I've been born I've heard it said that the DUP (and UUP before that) will gain votes because they'll portray the election as an existential fight for the union. It has never come true.

Even then it doesn't really make any sense. Is there any evidence of a sizeable cohort of voters who are currently staying at home or voting Alliance who will now vote DUP because the DUP say the union is under threat? If so, why didn't they vote DUP in the last 20 elections they've been saying the union is under threat?

It's like "Italy will come good in the next few years" in the rugby. It may have been a reasonable statement decades ago, but it has never come to pass and is now a cliché that people throw out without thinking.

They couldn’t get the votes out (if they existed) to save North Belfast.

briany

Pandiculation wrote: »

Arlene is far too reasonable for the DUP.

I tended to always assume she was 'walking the line' between being fairly copped on & maintaining power by playing to an in-house DUP audience.

If they go too extreme with their choice of leadership, they'll likely reduce their vote a lot too. I'd rather the more moderate unionists represented better though.

Totally agree. I'm not someone who believes that the DUP truly are so blinkered that they cannot recognise certain political realities in the present day. Sure, there would be individuals within the party like that, but there has to also be many who see the writing on the wall. Ideological British Unionism is now one of three main political stances in NI, alongside ideological Irish Nationalism and neither of the above, and none of them hold a majority of voters, and we can see that in the makeup of the current NI Assembly. So it would be a kamikaze move from the DUP to become more extreme and regressive in their views and make their cause even more of a minority one than it already is.

This is where Sinn Fein have outflanked the DUP somewhat because Sinn Fein have aligned themselves more to things like being pro-choice or same sex marriage. Things that younger voters are generally in favour of but the DUP cannot countenance.

What the DUP need to do is purge the likes of Sammy Wilson from their party, and let him go off and join the TUV if he wants, and start making appeals to the wider voter base in Northern Ireland.

It'll be interesting to see who they choose as their next leader if Foster is voted out, as it will be highly indicative, to me, of what direction they intend to head.

Dyr

"Listen I’ve done some silly things in my time but even taking off all your clothes and cavorting in a field isn’t on the same scandalous level of thinking you’re the next Peter Canavan and you the DUP leader. Although she took her point well, it’s the next step to a United Ireland. You wouldn’t have caught the Reverend with a size 5 in his hands. She has to go.”




https://tyronetribulations.com/2021/04/27/arlene-in-leadership-bother-after-scoring-a-fine-point-during-kickabout-with-michelle/

Beechwoodspark

Paisley junior maybe

awec

Beechwoodspark wrote: »

Paisley junior maybe

No chance.

gmisk

Beechwoodspark wrote: »

Paisley junior maybe

I would honestly doubt it.
The multiple free holidays etc were not a good look.
Living of the family name...in Ballymena area they would elect an inanimate carbon rod if it was a Paisley...

L1011

She should have walked after RHI (maybe then the DUP calls for O'Neill to go over Storey might not have been comincal), but every realistic alternative option for leader is worse and almost certainly going to bring Stormont down again for a time (a year or so probably), to make it look like they're trying to get the NI Protocol changed. Leaving NI direct ruled from Westminster during a severe crisis.

awec

gmisk wrote: »

I would honestly doubt it.
The multiple free holidays etc were not a good look.
Living of the family name...in Ballymena area they would elect an inanimate carbon rod if it was a Paisley...

I think (without any evidence) that there is some animosity between Paisley Jnr and elements of the party over the way Paisley Snr was treated at the end of his time.

FrancieBrady

awec wrote: »

I think (without any evidence) that there is some animosity between Paisley Jnr and elements of the party over the way Paisley Snr was treated at the end of his time.

I've heard it isn't just 'some animosity' it is bitter animosity.

Beechwoodspark

awec wrote: »

I think (without any evidence) that there is some animosity between Paisley Jnr and elements of the party over the way Paisley Snr was treated at the end of his time.

I remember that.

Old man Paisley had a problem with Dodds anyway. And thought Robinson was a bit of a weakling.