The DUP refusing to let Sinn Fein have First Minister means a December Assembly Election. Will the numbers change in a fresh Election?
What parties seats are vulnerable or who might make gains in any constituencies ??
Even if you add in Aontu for 40%, that still leaves nationalist parties BELOW the 41.1% achieved in the Assembly elections in 2011.
Hardly evidence in support of the unstoppable demographic imperative?
This was a poll, not an election.
And the most recent election sees the nationalist parties at 39.8%, in line with that poll, and below the 41.1% achieved in 2011. Stagnation is the name of the game.
There's a lot of parties 'stagnating' on the island so.
I wasn't talking about any political party, I was pointing out the factual information that the total nationalist vote in Northern Ireland has stagnated at best since 2011.
It's held it's own.
You don't need to be a nationalist to vote for a UI if that is what you are alluding to. Otherwise it is an electoral battle between different parties and we can see who is winning that.
Stagnated or held its own, I don't have a particular problem with words, just noting the facts that the nationalist vote hasn't moved the dial.
A Nationalist from the largest party is being locked out of the First Minister position blanch. The statelet was designed so that would never happen (a Nationalist in the most powerful position) and you claim stagnation. Ok.
Bizarre response. I am not going down any more rabbit holes with you, it is tiresome.
A simple factual statement that the total nationalist vote has decreased slightly or flatlined at best since 2011 is somehow driving you into all sorts of fantastical twists of my words. It has nothing to do with whether an individual party finishes top of the pile, it has nothing to do with electoral battles between different parties, it is not an opinion poll, it is a simple statement of fact about election outcomes that you seem unable to accept.
I have accepted it,
I object to your demeaning choice of words and have given another view on it. You seem to think you have carte blanche here. I am entitled to my opinion just as you are.
mod: Right, the two of you put your handbags down or I'll take them off you!
It really is tedious having to watch the two of you sparring against each other constantly.
So apparently Jeffrey has said repeated that the DUP won't re-enter Stormont until the protocol put in place by their government has been replaced. As they already know that this won't happen, this simply shows that the DUP are still unwilling to sit in an assembly led by SF (ignoring the will of the people effectively!).
Emma DeSouza nails down exactly what the DUP are trying to achieve.
I don't think it is a simple as that. Even in the article you are quoting the SDLP are suggesting that compromises are on the way on the Protocol that will allow the DUP to take a different decision. The real crunch for them will come if there are changes and there is a decision to be made.
Jesus will Stormont ever come back if its gone this long?
For the first time ever I would understand if people in NI were rioting in the streets due to being denied proper representation and governance for this long.
I think the British government is going to sideline Unionists. I think you'll see them heading towards Direct Rule if Unionists remain intransigent after a new agreement on The Protocol.
I'm quite shocked they're not rioting on the streets already. But I Suppose if one side's telling tale tales, or flat out lying, about the threat of the Protocol then like Brexit itself you can somewhat understand why the public are sleepwalking through this limbo.
Will Nationalists quietly accept direct rule though?
This is my opinion.
I think Nationalists know the statelet has failed, and know it will never work.
So they will be happy enough with the direction of travel to Direct Rule, because that won't fix the issue at the heart of the failure and the conflict/war and Brexit and the Protocol - the stupidity and calamity of Partition.
That it (partition) is now coming back to bite both Unionists and the British will not be lost on anyone in the Nationalist community.
Alot of the comments im seeing from places id say are mainly alliance/nationalist voters seem to be resigned to Stormont never coming back now so you might be right.
Stormont previously collapsed on 16 January 2017 when Martin McGuinness walked out of government. It took until 11 January 2020 until it was restored.
It could be that the DUP are attempting to take this record away from Sinn Fein.
There is going to be a strong push from the likes of the Alliance, SDLP, Greens and UUP away from the structured devolved government to allow for more variation and options for the second designated party to take seats if the first doesn't as well as the formation of proper coalition governments.
It will be difficult for the likes of DUP and SF to learn to compromise in these situations, but they are absolutely necessary for Northern Ireland.
Sorry...the Assembly is down and it doesn't matter if SF compromise or not. SF compromising will not solve the DUP's intransigence. The DUP need to look to the British government to solve their issue not the political parties who make up the Assembly and Executive. The Alliance are blue in the face pointing this out as well as everyone else.
Compromise was required from the Executive parties the previous time the Assembly went down. Arlene did compromise a year in but that was withdrawn after consultation as we all know.
I.E. The current issue is outside the control of the Executive but yet it and the people are being held to ransom.
its a very real possibility that it will never be back. SoS has moved the need to call an election one year. He then has another six months. That sept 2024.
I don’t know a single unionist who wants it back. People like me voted for the gfa in good faith. The court case the other day demonstrates that I was misled.
I think we are entering difficult times
The one big plus is that maybe now Westminster has realised it needs to get on with running this part of the Uk and they might take the uncomfortable decisions around health etc which our politicians have not had the courage or intellectual ability to take over decades
How does the court case show your misled about the GFA?
The DUP never supported the GFA and Downcow is a DUP supporter, so how was that poster misled?
BBC's Mark Carruthers pins down DUP's Paul Given on his bull about the DUP's priorities...
For the sake clarity and those of us not close to the Protocol: what's this sidestep Given tried re. "concerns" over drugs moving between GB and NI; is it even relevant or a thing wot exists? I'm just going to presume it's waffle but just to know the ins and outs of it...
I like Carruthers' doggedness to call it bluntly. It's a calculated and political move by the DUP, but as we well know it'll be a cold day in hell if a politician ever held their hands up and said, "you got me. I'm bullshítting, I'll 'fess up".
I think performances like that (he was worse on the Daithi issue) and the closure of the 3rd and final Court case will see support leak away from the DUP if they continue to dig their heels in.
Amanda Ferguson reports that there is tremendous pressure being exerted on the DUP over the Stormont recall motion to pass the Daithi legislation.
They will vote it down at their peril.
