Well the outflow of DUP personnel hardly matches that of Sinn Fein, but the front page of the Newtownards Chronicle last week carried the resignation of DUP councillor Terry Willams. He has resigned in protest at the deselection of George Ennis in the Stranford constituency. He will now sit as an independent on the council. Slugger understands that Ennis may himself be considering his position in the party…
Which reminds me…. Platform for Change’s driving force Robin Wilson has produced a corrective to the notion that the lessons of the NI conflict are easily exportable. Like myself, Robin is associated with the Constitution Unit. He introduced his new book in a CU blog which I here reproduce. The water crisis in Northern Ireland [...] read our review »
Ireland is in the middle of a boom – a running boom. Chances are, even if you have never run a step yourself (apart from some painful P.E. classes many moons ago), someone you know has taken up running over the last little while. Road races in Northern Ireland and in the Republic have seen [...] read our review »
The nod and wink politics of Ireland’s last two or three decades as practised par excellence by Bertie, Albert and Charlie is ultimately what has the Republic in the stew it’s in. Don’t get me wrong, the effective monitoring of those exercising of power does not demand full disclosure of everything all the time. But [...] read our review »
This resignation would seem to have more to do with personality as opposed to policy.
With all respect to George Ennis, who is indeed a gentleman, he did very little work on the ground! The DUP have selected a more youthful and energetic team of candidates and they are to be commended on this.
Clearly the level of supposed dissent within DUP ranks is nothing compared to the rapid disintegration Sinn Fein are experiencing.
the sparrow
It`s early days yet! [text removed - moderator]
Mick wrote:
>Well the outflow of DUP personnel hardly matches that of Sinn Fein
It hasn’t started yet. I hope they hold it together as well or better than SF. The future would be quite promising in that case.
“The future would be quite promising in that case.”
Extremist parties stuffed with YES men and women of mediocre ability promise a future of peace, prosperity and progress. And 2016 is less than a decade away …
Ahh… of course there is no principle quite so sacred as self-interest.
This is not an issue relating to the wider political process. Its someone who’s a bit p*issed off because either he or his mate have missed out on £40k a year.
Didn’t George Ennis close down his constituency office about 4 months ago. Hardly the action of someone attempting to persuade his constituency association of his work ethic….
Oh, and another thing.
With a headline of Another Councillor resigns… Who exactly was the last one? Bit misleading in my opinion.
“With a headline of Another Councillor resigns… Who exactly was the last one? Bit misleading in my opinion.”
Jack McKee?
Jack Mc Kee?
Who indeed. LMAO
Hanson
Ah yes, my apologies, forgot about Jack McKee – but then its always hard to keep track of his resignations, the come along more frequently than buses.
“Hanson
Ah yes, my apologies, forgot about Jack McKee – but then its always hard to keep track of his resignations, the come along more frequently than buses.”
Of course if Terry Williams had been selected to run for Stormont and George Ennis had not, one assumes the bold Terence would still be for standing down out of solidarity with his great mate?
The DUP under Peter Robinson’s strategic gaze has carefully cultivated a image of having representatives who are there to ‘serve’ the people, of hardworking men of the people etc etc….‘Service ever, surrender never’ is the catchphrase I believe.
Amazing then when an MLA is de selected, or a Councillor resigns, we learn from the DUPer cybersquad that ex MLA/ Councillor was in fact a shiftless, feckless, worthless, lazy inarticulate waste of space, who should not be left alone with matches or sharp implements.
No ND, you are confusing George Ennis with John Taylor. I don’t know what George Ennis did or didn’t do, but it’s clear to me that Terry Williams is huffing because he didn’t get the nod for selection and is using George as an excuse to bugger off. Well, if that his level of committment to a party or the people who elected him – “being a councillor isn’t good eneough, if you don’t select me for Stormont, I quit” – then the DUP is better of without him. Maragret Craig and Jonny Bell lost out also – you don’t see them storming off and resigning.
Not DUPed
When the DUP realise that a sitting MLA is a “shiftless, feckless, worthless,lazy inarticulate waste of space…” they do, at least try and dump them.
Unlike the UUP–who not only refuse to dump them but actually (as in Upper Bann)re-select the planks who lost in 2003!
And unlike Empey. I supported him for the leadership—indeed played a part in his campaign—on the back of a promise that he would “kick into touch” the dead wood staffers at HQ and the so-called “special” advisers at the Assembly.
Not one of them has been shifted. Empey even told me that he couldn’t get rid of some HQ staff because it would cost a fortune in redundancy!!!!!
And the poor man now wonders why he is facing more seat losses in a few weeks time.
That aside, the DUP has turned into as spineless and out-foxed bunch of tossers as the UUP.
Porlock
Not DUPed
I suppose you would prefer the sort of gold standard constituency service provided by someone like Bob McCartney then?
Can you tell us exactly what his constituency office provision is or what it was when he claimed to represent North Down at Westminster? For all his claims to the contrary he’s more ‘Ulster Unionist’ in many of his ways than the UUP. I’m not saying that George Ennis was a rubbish constituency MLA – what I’m saying is that he saw the writing on the wall some time ago in terms of future selection and kind of gave up the fight. Why would he bother working if he saw that it wasnt going to pay off?
Im afraid it was sour grapes for terry, he new he would not get selected and threw a strop and resigned!
Ennis and Williams, contrary to the vitrolic spin being posted here by DUP hacks were two of the most hard working and vocal councillors in Ards Borough Council.
In Lisburn the DUP have put up their propaganda posters all over the place. Very quick of the mark.
Just a pity we now know that these people will be pro-agreement robots that will follow the faceless DUP spin doctors.
papers today say Leslie Cubitt Limavady DUP will resign to stand for UKUP in assembly elections-Cubitt is well liked in the area, and is far more colourful than the grey UUP and DUP candidates.Unlikely to get elected, but he will stymie DUP plans for a 3rd seat in East Londonderry
George Ennis is similarly running for the UKUP in Strangford following his resignation from the DUP, rumours are also abound that Cedric Wilson still plans to stand in Strangford also in addition to the four DUP candidates and the three UUP candidates.
Should be an interesting carve up