The statement of the 12
The Belfast Telegraph has more on the statement by the 12 DUP Assembly members.
“It emerged today, however, that the statement issued by 12 senior party members, including four MPs, on Friday, had initially been drawn up as a point of order for chairman Lord Morrow. But after the attack by Michael Stone suspended Assembly proceedings, Lord Morrow did not get the opportunity to raise it during the debate and, with the party’s press office closed, it was decided to release it.”
However, a senior party source admits:
“It was a mess but it was the appearance of a mess rather than a real mess and has only served as a distraction.”
The political ability of the DUP knows no bounds, everyone else should pack up and go home.
After all they are smart enough to draft a point of order on the Speakers statement without having seen or heard it. Or did the DUP have sight of the Speakers statement before the meeting??????
“It was a mess but it was the appearance of a mess rather than a real mess and has only served as a distraction.
If looks like a mess then its a mess
There are night classes in PR and publicity down your local FE College lads.
The remarkable thing is that this actually seems like a reasonable explanation because we are used to them not opften being the best when it comes to the media & public facing element. Shockin…
Yokel,
The DUP’s PR is pretty slick compared to the others, although SF probably are a nose in front.
A very interesting interview with Paisley by Tommie Gorman of RTE.
http://www.rte.ie/news/2006/1127/northpolitics.html
Scroll down to bottom of written article for interview.
Paul P
The DUP’s PR is pretty slick compared to the others
Yes indeed – only a tiny, tiny minority of people outside NI think that the DUP are a pack of flat-earth religous zealots led by a paranoid megalomaniac. The vast majority of people see DUP as progressive forward thinkers who’s catchphrase is “YES! YES! YES!.
Seriously though Paul, unionisms PR, no matter what the party, has always been awful. The Republican movement won the PR battle many, many years ago.
I’m surprised nobody has referred to this latest lot of troglodytes as the Twelve Apostles ? All they need now is a Christ to crucify and a Judas to betray him . On the other hand perhpas they have both already . Step forward Paisley and Allister in whichever order
by issuing the statement the 12 bounced big Ian even further down the road to power sharing with the Shinners, an own goal!
Marty
I agree with you that historically unionism has been crap at PR, but you have to concede that that has changed a bit recently, not least because of the efforts of Peter Robinson and the likes.
I’m not sure it’s down to Peter Robinson, rather the impressive PR team at HQ, although even they must be getting dizzy with all the spinning that’s currently being done.
The 12 have quite significantly set out their stance, and along with Allister and many, many others at grassroot level, will strive to ensure that any power-hungry elements are kept in tune.
For those of us outside Northern Ireland would somebody let us know the names of the 12…
Prancer, Blitzen…..
Grumpy, Sleepy, Dopey….
Funny guy….
Some of the 12, sorry i cant remember them all.
Nigel Dodds MP,William McCrea MP, David Simpson MP, Gregory Campbell MP,Lord Morrow,Stephen Moutray MLA?,
Paisley said in an interview yesterday that “some” of those who signed the statement had told him that they wished they had not. I wonder who?
There 12 were Nigel Dodds, Gregory Campbell, Willie McCrea, David Simpson, Lord Morrow, Diane Dodds, Nelson McCausland, Paul Girvan, Stephen Moutray, Mervyn Storey, Tom Buchanen and Jim Wells.
Personally I wouldn’t believe a word from what Paisley said on the issue yesterday, he’s obviously under pressure to claim his party is fully united. It isn’t.
I hear that the missing sentence from Paisley’s statement came after a meeting of the assembly party, when-under pressure from aspiring leadership contenders with ears to the ground, pandering to the unhappy grassroots- he welched on assurances given to Blair the previous day, which resulted in Eileen “I can’t believe it’s not butter” Bell’s risible attempt to stick to the script given her to read by Hain and pretend a “No” was a “Yes”. Cue irate phonecall from No 10 to Paisley, presumably including threats of plan B, shutdown etc ,resulting in his chastened statement of clarification- yup, pushover Unionism is alive and well!