Sylvia Hermon buys out
Sylvia Hermon has publicly called for the UUP to break its link with the PUP. Update In the Belfast Telegraph, Sir Reg Empey offers his latest defence of the move.
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SNAP!
I just posted that story on the other thread dealing with this issue!
In all fairness Slyvia Hermon should no better than to use the media to air her issues. She has had phone calls and meetings with the leader and has discussed her difficulties…
She is complaining about a lack of progress over a 3 week period!! I mean, get a grip, this is going to take more than 3 weeks….In my opinion she is being a bit of a coward. I would urge the UUP to remain faithful to it’s promises to the loyalist community, don’t run after the first bout of turbulence.
Why the need to bring this all into the public domain now??? Does she really want to help the DUP out? She is a political maverick.
So, how long before Lady Hermon defects to APNI?
unionist (which member of the CunningPlan Typing Pool are you?)–
“she is complaining about a lack of progress over three weeks….she is being a bit of a coward…”
The UUP hasn’t had progress on this after four years on the Loyalist Commission and thirteen years tied up with the UPRG and assorted loyalists at City Hall, not to mention all the back channel links forged by Cobain, Davy Brown et al over the years.
She has the right to speak out in public (and not just because she is the only MP you have) because the MLAs made this decision in private, a decision which put the entire UUP into the same bed as the PUP.
Yes, she clearly is a political maverick, because only a maverick could win a Parliamentary seat, let alone any seat for the UUP. You better pray that she doesn’t become an independent.
You people are so stupid.
BooBoo
unionist said”I would urge the UUP to remain faithful to it’s promises to the loyalist community,”
Firstly the loyalist community voted for the DUP at the last election , not the PUP or UUP
secondly, what baout regs promises to his party who promised not to take ministerial seats this side of an assembly election. If reg had kept that promise he wouldnt be in the shit hes in
Well said Sylvia.
And well said Peter Bowles.
Alex.
“She is complaining about a lack of progress over a 3 week period!!” says unionist. Well, Davy Dictionary has had 12 years (at least in public) an what exactly has he achieved?
Of course, when this all really does go Tits Up, I suspect the UUP will come out with its default line about “taking risks for peace” and “better to fail than not to try” etc., the things it usually says when it screws up big time Thus a once great party staggers nearer to extinction.
I think Lady Hermon may be on the verge of joining the Conservatives, eh?
… a once great party staggers nearer to extinction.
It was, in fact, that one-time UUP MP, Enoch Powell, who is credited with the saying that “all political careers end in failure”. I wonder did he realise that it applied to parties as well as to individuals?
“And it comes as no surprise, because it is typical of the arrogance, the debilitating culture of `we know better than you`, and the ear-stopping indifference to the views of others, which has brought this party to its knees.” Alex kane referring to the need for strong leadership some time ago.
A majority decision was taken. Some people might not like it, it might make people uncomfortable. But to paraphrase Alex the ear stopping indifference by ‘commentators’ and a party officer to respect the majority view within the party is continually bringing the party to it’s knees. Fair Deal, Weir et al must be positively salivating at this principled let’s wash it all in public line.
Well done.
Lady Sylvia Hermon is a person of the highest integrity so this is no political game-playing. Sir Reg must take on board her unease, and that of thousands of decent UUP supporters, at this unholy alliance.
Time to say, “Oops I blundered there” and get the hell away from Dictionary Dave and his friends.
“Lady Sylvia Hermon is a person of the highest integrity so this is no political game-playing. Sir Reg must take on board her unease, and that of thousands of decent UUP supporters, at this unholy alliance.”
Oh yes remember decent people vote UU
boshank–what majority view in the party? It was never endorsed by the Party Officers, The Party Executive or the Ulster Unionist Council. I am led to believe that it wasn’t even put to a vote at a meeting of Constituency Officers in HQ three weeks ago. The only people who made the decision to create the UUP-UVF pact were the MLAs and, again, I’m led to believe that they didn’t even take a collective vote.
The problem with the UUP, as it was with the Belfast Agreement, is that half of the party will cheer on Hermon and co while the other half take the washing the dirty linen in public line.
BooBoo
Holy hell! how extraordinary. Not, obviously, that I’ve been right, yet again, and that the UUP getting into bed with the UVF IS unbelievably dim. Me being right can have surprised no one, but that it has taken Herperson three weeks, and Kane a mere fortnight to, having been wrong, now, politically pointlessly, be less so – well, heaven’s above. ‘Constitutionalism for slow learners’, as someone else might have almost bored on once.
And given that Herperson of course can’t be leader, all we need now is for an MLA to finally squeak out, and it’s good night Reg. Destiny squints closely at Esmond.
Hang on there a minute, Karl. By your own admission you helped put Trimble and Empty into the leadership and they turned into numpties. You also gave a friendly nod to Burnside/Kennedy before they turned into numpties. How do you know Birnie won’t go the same way?
BooBoo
I’m sure if she defected to Labour her very close friend the Secretary of State for Defence could get her a job…
I don’t: I’m aiming to give him the kiss of death. Or the UVF hug as it’s now known.
It should be pointed out that my post at nos 17 was in reply to Boo Boo. I am not suggesting that I want to kiss the Defence Secretary: that would be an appalling lapse in taste.
Too, too hot today – that should of course have read, ‘my post at nos. 18′. I am mortally afraid of anyone imagining that Des’s lips hold out any allure for Rove. Gross buckets!
Karl, there was more than a tad of the Oscar Wilde to your comments on posts 19 and 20!
And I presume that it was you at 17 as well since, if memory serves, you made some comment last year about a news story (which never broke!) about a certain Lady and someone in Labour.
BooBoo
Boo Boo,
… if memory serves, you made some comment last year about a news story (which never broke!) about a certain Lady and someone in Labour.
Indeed he did. In May last year he hinted at a link between Hermon and Browne.
Do tell more, Mr Rove ….
“I think Lady Hermon may be on the verge of joining the Conservatives, eh?”
well i dunno about that, but I did hear that the recently ennobled not-so-special-one was rumoured to have offered himself to the Tories as a frontbencher, but-in a rare display of Conservative standards- wasn’t to Dave Cameron’s taste. Would watchman or a.n.other care to confirm?
It’s going to be so obvious is this story breaks after Hermon splits with the UUP. The public will understand her family position entirely and blame the callous men-in-suits who leaked. Another nail in the coffin for the UUPers, I’m afraid.
Aha, I see Reg Empty is trying to build himself a little wiggle-room:
[BBC report]
Sir Reg said he “acknowledged and respected” Lady Hermon’s views, but added that he and others were “not prepared to walk away” from the deal.
Sir Reg said in a statement on Friday that Lady Hermon’s views were “well-known throughout the party”.
“The problem of loyalist paramilitaries has evolved over 35 years and this exercise cannot be completed in the space of three weeks – there is progress to be made,” he said.
“Having said that, we will know relatively quickly whether those with whom we are engaged with are being disingenuous.
“If they are, then naturally the position will have to be re-assessed and I will not hesitate to do so. This is not an unconditional arrangement.”
So what is Reg Empty’s definition of ‘relatively quickly’, I wonder. It is certainly a bit slower that most people’s, since a lot noticed the ‘disingenuity’ pretty much the moment the bullets hit Haddock.
Me at nos. 17? Fraid not, as the management can doubtless confirm. Simple typo – not everything in Norn Iron is a conspiracy . . .
And yup, I too have heard that Turtle got a ‘thanks, we’ve got your number …’ from Fat Tom [Strathclyde]. It’s fair to say that John Cope isn’t exactly a fan either. Still, not all the ginger whinger’s fault – in Dave’s party, it’s not good form to have gone to a grammar.
And as for Oscar – Portora nonce. Need one say more?
“well i dunno about that, but I did hear that the recently ennobled not-so-special-one was rumoured to have offered himself to the Tories as a frontbencher, but-in a rare display of Conservative standards- wasn’t to Dave Cameron’s taste. Would watchman or a.n.other care to confirm?”
I wonder why Dave didn’t want her, she’s a woman (obviously) and an ethnic minority (ulsterish), what more could he want? That aside, I can’t see her clinging on to the sinking boat that is the UUP, and she doesn’t seem the type to hop over on to the good ship Paisley?
If she wants to play safe she can simply resign the whip until Reg is replaced – inasmuch as a one-MP party has a whip, of course.
Darth, I hadn’t heard that the purple-clad Purple One was touting for a job with yet another smarmy public school boy. I can’t blame him – shadow postmaster-general is still better than dandering up and down the fruit and veg aisle at Tesco with Daphne every week.
Mind you, the 2 Daves, Turtle and Chameleon, are made for each other. Let no one say I’m uncharitable: given the lack of talent in the Cameroon Praetorian Guard, it seems unkind to leave the Turtle snoozing on the leather benches and dreaming of being First Minister again.
Peter – the rather obvious reason why Dave doesnt want Lady Sylvia Hermon is that she is not a Conservative – she’s left of centre
1. Esmond Birnie has always been a useless numpty.
2. Who’d have thought that the true inheritors of the departed crew’s legacy of self promotion before party or Unionism would be Sylvia Hermon with a tag team of Alex Kane, Peter Bowles and Esmond Birnie (now isn’t that a representative sample of Unionist Ulster!)? I can understand anti-agreement types being against this, and they have a point and even some moral continuity, even if I think they are being a little self righteous. But Hermon, Kane and Bowles? Lets be serious chaps, the display of party unity over this led you to see a gap in the market for slagging off party policy to further yourselves.
Watchman; Cameron may be a bit bereft of some desireable qualifications – but at least he’s better than that tosser Duncan-Smith.
A majority decision was taken.
Majority rule alive and well within Ulster Unionism then…
Is it not time to try democracy?
Bob
Although this ‘left-right’ thing is rather simplified, your point stands – Sylvia has voted with Labour much more often than with the Tories.
Outside Northern Ireland, with its comissioners for cuddly teaddy bears and getting on together, majority rule is democracy.
majority rule is democracy.
When was the last time a British government got a majority of the votes?
They get a majority of votes in Parliament all the time.
GWB/MJS
Thank you for your kind words. I prefer to call it having backbone and recognising that this pathetic deal will see the party head towards electoral disaster.
Perhaps your desire to get the second seat in Lagan Valley for the UUP will be now little more than a pipe dream.
I wish you well in your endeavours.
Peter Bowles,
There is a reason why you barely scraped in at the last AGM meeting in March, how does it feel that in the october EGM you topped the officer vote yet less than 5 months later you came bottom and were very close to not being elected at all and now as a consequence you have to stand again next year.
When I was there in March i was told by a number of people that you and McCrea had only attended 2 officer meetings, is that true?
You will not be elected next time.
Tut-Tut Fanta. A little churlish in your attitude to young Bowles.
Bowles fell foul of the West-Of-The-Bann mafia who now control the UUC (the party has little support East of the river, hence the disparity in delegates)—and he fell foul of them because he dared to question key aspects of how the party handled its finances.
And when Ken Maginnis decided he didn’t like the new constitutional proposals at the most recent EGM, he used the weight of his delegates to inflict a hugely embarrassing defeat on Empty. But since Reg is utterly spineless and totally at Ken’s mercy, he does what he is told. Ken, of course, loves the PUP-UVF deal.
BooBoo
Booboo;
So the UUP really got more votes in the West than the East?
Actually the reason why bowles polled embarrassingly bad was because he came across to be pompous prat.
He was the only one on the Officer team that weren’t at least trying to make an effort… in 5 months he attended 2 meetings!
And I can tell you that the person who told me that was not west of the bann!
I didn’t vote for him last year and I most certainly did not vote for him this year.
He just seems the sort off person that’s in it for himself.