If some of the UUP’s insiders were relishing the media attention the Ervine deal got them at the beginning of the week, they’re unlikely to still be doing so now. It seems Reg Empey has suffered the first crisis of his leadership: and he has some important lessons that will have to be learned and learned quickly if they are to have a viable long term future.
With perhaps the longest title of any book I’ve read this year, The Media Relations Department of Hizbollah Wishes You a Happy Birthday: Unexpected Encounters in the Changing Middle East gives an insight into the lives of people living in Middle East through the eyes of journalist Neil MacFarquhar. MacFarquhar’s father was a chemical engineer [...] read our review »
What was life like for children of political activists during the Troubles? A new book by Bill Rolston and published by Guildhall Press during the summer has collected together the stories of twenty Children of the Revolution whose parents’ activities – and in many cases, imprisonment – had a significant affect on childhoods and life [...] read our review »
The words of Brian O’Nolan, variously Brian Ó Nualláin, Myles na gCopaleen, Myles na Gopaleen and, of course, Flann O’Brien. That O’Nolan was referencing his own dissolute student days at UCD only mildly distracts from the prophetic undertone of his words: I paid no attention whatsoever to books or study and regarded lectures as a [...] read our review »
JEB
“McCrea’s platform sharing with Billy Wright either”
I dont wish to defend the sharing of the platform – was probably a foolish move which provided critics with ammunition (excuse the pun) to use on the DUP.
However, at the time Billy Wright was not convicted of anything – however I think everyone knew he wasn’t exactly a boy scout. The issue was that here was a man who was condemned to death by the UVF (ironically) if he didnt leave Northern Ireland. Surely it was correct to say that no paramilitary organisation has the right to execute someone for daring to exist.
Whether doing it with Billy Wright was the smartest move in the book is another matter.
However, I dont for one second believe that Willie McCrea or the DUP were suggesting that Billy Wright should not go on trial for anything he may or may not have done and they were certainly not suggesting that he should not have gone go jail (for a very long time) after he was subsequently convicted.
Arguing for the right to life of someone who was as obviously dodgy as Wright probably wasnt the smartest PR move in the world, but they were neither forming an alliance with him nor were they defending his actions – simply stating that he should not be put to death by another bunch of loyalist gangsters.
There were a hundred and one things that put me off the DUP, when, o so long ago, I had to decide, “what sort of Unionist am I?” But not the least of the reasons for avoiding the Paisleyites was the suspicion that, whatever they said and whatever they did, some of them were less than fully unambiguous in their opposition to ‘loyalist’ terrorism.
The heartbreaking thing now, however, for lifelong Ulster Unionists like me is that – it’s not a question of ‘suspicion’ or ‘ambiguity’ pace the UUP’s institutional relationship with terrorists. It’s a press released, boasted-about fact. I have not met or spoken to even one UUP voter who approves of this. And I am most impressed by the number of UUP people I’ve been in touch with, who were, by my standards, rabidly pro-Trimble, who abhor Empey’s foolishness.
If there any chance to salvage the UUP’s reputation as a constitutional party, opposed to criminality tout court, this week is the last moment when MLAs speaking otu will make any difference. But as yet, silence from ALL of them
Karl Rove
I to am disappointed that UUP MLA’s and councillors, many of whom I had previously thought to be be good decent people who held adherence to law and order as a central tenet of their beliefs, have not had the principle to come out against this unholy alliance.
There comes a time when principle has to come above passing party avantage and £’s in the bank and I still hope that some of those involved in this conspiracy of silence have the courage to come out and admit that they oppose the alliance.
Karl
wise words- and I do admire a poster using the term tout court!
On my last post on Friday, before I headed off to London for the weekend (yes, a lovely time thank you very much)I began a competition for anyone who could produce a scrap of evidence that anyone—save for Empty and the Major and the ninnies at CunningPlan House—supported the UUP/UVF pact. Not one scrap has been forthcoming.
I scanned the local papers in the library at lunchtime—nothing there either.
I made a few calls to contacts in the UUP and no, they couldn’t give me any help either—although I did hear that Alex Kane, along with Peter Bowles and Peter Brown, had demolished the idea at the officers meeting on Thursday night. Was Saturday’s column Alex’s idea of a joke, by the way?
Now that Paisley has ruled out sitting on the Devolution Committee with either SF or the UUP (and the Committee was Empty’s brainchild) it looks like the pact has scuppered that line of activity for the UUP, too.
These must be very gloomy days for the UUP. How stupid must they be to have underestimated the impact that such a move would have. As Karl Rove hints above, it has united Trimbleites and non-Trimbleites.
And, three days away from Slugger, I am still astonished that the boys at CunningPlan House are still relying on a defence that had no credibility to begin with:
1: The move didn’t have to be done last Monday–Empty had 72 hours notice that Standing Orders had been changed.
2:Ervine was third or fourth choice, again, making a mockery of Empty’s claim that he was acting in accordance with the “reaching out to Loyalism” section of his speech at the AGM.
3: Despite the efforts of both BBC and UTV, no-one from the UUP MLA group (apart from Empty and Major) is prepared to go on record and support this.
Yet again, it is a complete and utter cock-up from the UUP.
BooBoo
If Boo Boo says, no UUP MLAs support this move, and I say no UUP have yet opposed it, does this mean that UUP MLAs don’t in fact exist? It all begins to make sense …..
Meanwhile, Bro. Darth, ‘tout court’ is nothing. Among some elements of the Royal Black, I understand nothing but Norman French is spoken on daily basis.
Why doesn’t Reg simply back down, say it was all a big error in judgment and apologize to his party (and the rest of us). He’d (re)earn my respect that way.
Oh, what am I saying? Back down … apologize …
That’s hardly the Ulster Way, is it?
empty is just great.
I look forward to the bbc/utv etc asking other mla’s etc about their opinions….
whats wrang? scaredy ba?
Me again. Sorry, I owe Alex an apology. Just scanned through another thread and saw that he had been serious about the euthanasia piece, after all.
Any chance, though, that he will give an opinion. He is being uncharacteristically quiet.
BooBoo
jst for information all of the uup mla’s gave the move their support.
“jst for information all of the uup mla’s gave the move their support.”
What a shame they aren’t literally turkeys. I’m hungry and would love a Christmas diiner.
“jst for information all of the uup mla’s gave the move their support”.
Is that really true?
Even Birnie, Burnside?
unionist—which only goes to prove what a collection of drugged nodding donkeys they really are. Of course this is mostly the same lot who gave the ok to trimble’s various distortions and u-turns.
Speaking of Trimble I see he has put out a statement of support (but since I spotted it myself it doesn’t count as an offical competition entry), presumably to finish off those voters and members he didn’t manage to f**k-up in 2005.
I see too that the Empty sponsored debate on the Devolution Committee has been pulled from tomorrow’s Assembly business. Yep, there goes another CunningPlan House wheeze up in smoke! What a bunch of useless incompetent tossers they are.
And what’s this I hear about Burnside sending a letter to Empty seeking clarification on the Ervine business? My understanding is that the Assembly Group didn’t actually vote collectively on this decision. Empty pulled them off one by one (no sniggering in the back row, please)and got them to sign up to the new Ulster Unionist Party Assembly Group. I’m told that they weren’t all given the same version of events either and that cracks have begun to apear in the damn.
Bring back Lord Craigavon. He may be dead, but he couldn’t be any worse than the party-killing morons in charge at the moment.
Can anyone give legs to the story that Peter Bowles is planning to resign as both an officer and a member?
Off to see the Da Vinci Code now, so have a nice evening one and all.
BooBoo
boo boo,
I hope you enjoy the film, ;look out for the good living folk talking and chanting outside the cinema.
I told one of them to go forth and multiply last night, and they werent pleased….
He didnt even turn the other cheek, the unchristian bastard.
Wait til I see that lad Jesus, he will sort him out, cos he can do anything.
Even mircales…lol!