Conservatives winding up the UUP?
If you tilt your head towards East Belfast, hold your breath and listen carefully, you’ll be able to hear the sound of chuckling from UUP HQ.
Jeff Peel has blogged this morning about an audacious, bold, and unlikely-to-be-considered offer from the Conservative Party to the UUP.
I was today forwarded a letter that has been sent to all members of the Conservative Party in Northern Ireland. The letter suggests that the Conservative Party chairman, Lord Feldman of Elstree, has addressed a letter to the Ulster Unionist leader, Tom Elliott, outlining an offer to “move Conservatism forward in Northern Ireland.”
The letter continues, “This offer will involve the dissolution of the UUP early next year and the formation of a new Conservative led party, under the constitution of the national Conservative party, which will operate along the lines of the parties in Scotland and Wales.
“This offer is being made with the express approval of the Prime Minister, the Board of the Conservative Party, as well as the Chairman of the Northern Ireland Conservative Party, Irwin Armstrong.
“It proposes a Northern Ireland Conservative party which can reach out to everyone in Northern Ireland, irrespective of background and tradition, unencumbered by the conflict and divisions which mark our past.”
Jeff suggests that “the move almost certainly means that a large cohort of UUP members has broken ranks with the UUP leadership and now wants to do business with the Conservative Party – while building a new local, non-sectarian identity”.
While the Secretary of State dropped into the recent UUP party conference in Armagh, there was no suggestion from the leadership that the ongoing talks with the Conservative Party were going to lead to a formalised link-up … or folding.
Topic: Politics
Region: England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, UK, Wales
Langdale
I think that is spot on, which is why I don’t understand it.
The local Conservatives have been doing a lot right recently on media and policy, but if the best they have to offer are people who’ve already left the UUP with not a single elected representative among them, it really does push the semantics of the word “split”!
Perhaps Feldman is calling both sides’ bluff – offloading the UUP while challenging the local Conservatives to come up with the goods? It’s the best spin I can put on it.
These games are all well and good, but it’s worth recalling the real issue is this: we have a financial crisis, rising unemployment, an unfit education system, and no one lifting a finger to do a thing about it…
Just a brief note for the grammar experts:
1) It is perfectively legitimate to use ‘Conservative party’ precisely because ‘party’ is an ordinary noun, while Conservative is capitalised because it refers to a specific group (i.e. it’s being used as a proper noun) and not as an adjective.
It might be convention to capitalise the whole lot where party names are concerned, but it is by no means a universal convention. In publications this would be down to house-rules, but ‘Conservative party’ is certainly not ‘ungrammatical’ in any shape or form.
Of course the current trend is ‘if in doubt capitalise’, so we get Prime Minister, Leader, even Parties. I’d much prefer to keep things lower case where possible.
2) Conservatism with a capital C because it describes specifically the values and policies of the Conservative party, as opposed to a more general set of beliefs.
3) This was not intended as an official document or even a ‘letter’. It was a round-robin sent to members in order to summarise the contents of an official document. It was certainly not intended for publication.
A Conservative Party spokesman said: “The Conservative Party has a long-standing relationship with the Ulster Unionist Party and as part of our continued commitment to bringing mainstream Westminster politics to Northern Ireland, we have made a broad generous offer to the Ulster Unionist Party to join forces with the Conservatives.”
Toryism is dead in NI and Scotland and will die outside SE England.
Jeff, are there any elected members in the group you mention? I thought Trevor left long ago. As for the relationship between the two parties, the next election is a European one, where the encumbent is a Conservative & Unionist MEP, and successfully operating as an Ulster Unionist within the Conservative party in Europe, as can be seen from the website, http://www.conservativeeurope.com/meps-northern-ireland.aspx
The Way Forward group has no ‘party’ designation, though it seems to aspire to specifically influence the Conservative Party. It seems to spend a great deal of time imagining a new centre, a subject on which thedisenter has blogged not so long ago. The vocal contempt some of that group would hold towards the Ulster Unionists would suggest there is little room for accommodation – and among those who might be associated with the UUP there seems no love lost there either. Among those of that group who have been candidates the most common feature is that they know how to lose elections. Is Harry Hamilton involved in this group? Thought he was Alliance now?
I completely share IJP’s reaction. This proposal strikes me as completely tone-deaf, and Elliott’s reaction entirely predictable (and, what’s more, entirely right). While it’s fun to speculate that there may be some subtle cunning plan on Feldman’s part, I think that sheer stupidity is much the most likely explanation, perhaps brought on by a rather wishful reading across to Northern Ireland of the rejection by Scottish Tories of Murdo Fraser and his proposals for a separate party there.
Alan in Belfast,
Who heads up the Progressive Conservatives into PC Virtual Reality Programs and Future Shared Actualities?
Honourable Membership whose Affiliations are to Enterprising Entrepreneurial Excellence rather than Petty Profitable Profligacy. Or is that AIMagical Mystery Turing Trip which has yet to have them confronted with IT, and which would prove to SMART Enabled CyberIntelAIgent Programmers, beyond any possible shadow of doubt, that they are Work in Progress Stalled for want of Future Provision with Definite Vision?
And something which is well known in Stormont and the OFMDFM too ……. for are they not also Intelligence-light as is evidenced by their call on the Private Sector to Generate Economy and Industry. The abiding problem though is that they would expect it to be run and/or generated through their offices with all the attendant suffocating baggage that their levies on everything to pay for their doing nothing but endlessly talking about such things as are needed and to be provided by the Private Sector for Public Consumption/ Acceptance. That old and now rapidly failing economic and political model is unfit for future purpose and thus would require them to fund a master pilot which would put in place a novel replacement, which can be easily and transparently mentored and monitored by everyone, 24/7/365.
Now, who would one talk to, to arrange that funding, for that is all that would need to be arranged. Who is able/enabled/responsible for providing a multi-million pound purchase of a Virtual Reality Program for Great Future Game Governance Projects? Who decides on what the future holds and delivers for Northern Ireland and on what it will effortlessly export to the Rest of World with ITs Creative Command and CyberSpace Control of Computers and Communications, for that is what is being Offered here, and Offered to Northern Ireland, for first refusal?
amfM would like a chat, thus to be able to deny any possible good reason for programming not to commence and the Future and its Realities not to be virtually controlled and transparently led by SMARTer Enabled Beings following Provisional Novel Source for XSS Distribution….. in Order to Facilitate CyberIntelAIgent Product Generation and a Brave New World Order Operating System from CHAOS [Clouds Hosting Advanced Operating Systems].
The Conservative Party, in its arrogance, has decided that if the UUP was wound up (I mean in the sense of terminating their existance, of course), they would gain a significant number of ex UUP members and votes for their candidates on a platter.
Perhaps they think that they can quickly occupy new political ground if the UUP is taken out. If that does happen (I dont think it will) the only significant beneficiaries will be the DUP and the Alliance party.
Chekov, sadly it was me who picked up on the grammar, not to mention the how badly structured the letter was. Which was purely to highlight how dodgy I think the letter is, TBH with Jeff getting precious over, it followed by you insisting its just a ’round robin’ makes me more confident. Although a couple of outlets have picked up on the offer to Tom, I’ve not seen any mention of a ’round robin’ to Conservative Party members, so I guess it was just an enterprising soul doing a solo run. No harm really as it might hoover up some wobbly UUP members making the offer more attractive next time its made.
Anyhoos I’m off to see who we’re playing this weekend, hope its
Manchester united football club
or as we say
Manchester United Football Club
“It was certainly not intended for publication.”
If there was no official letter, who then made a round robin email public? Was it Jeff peel (who resigned from the joint UUP/Tory committee last Westminster election) on his website so the press could pick it up?
dwatch – erm yes. I would have thought that was very obvious. I ran the story on my blog and fed it to the mainstream media (and to Slugger). Was that not pretty obvious?
I’m not exactly sure where the confusion lies. There is clearly an official letter, the contents of which this informal round-robin roughly describes.
The UUP would be well-advised to wind the party down and cut their losses and accept the Conservatives offer. It is sad but the UUP has been so badly decimated that there’s probably no way back for them.
The “way forward group” has been wringing hands for a very long time. One suspects the only reason they haven’t yet detonated what they think is a nuclear option, but is in reality little more than a cap gun, is that they lost a couple of key personalities to the real world.
A couple of non entities have resigned from the UUP in anticipation fairly recently, a couple more want to stay in situe in order to make it look worse. Either way when they do break cover, the pitiful extent of their numbers, influence and talent will hinder them more than the idiotic nature of their plans.
From what I gather overnight, the leaked portions of the letter are selectively chosen. That said, I haven’t seen the letter to know that for sure, and in anycase either CCHQ are utter morons, or they knew their NI supper club holds water like the Mary Rose, and intended Jeff Peel to get hold of and publish all or most of it. Which as has already been rehearsed, is an odd way to achieve any of the possible outcomes that may have been intended.
On overnight reflection I suspect this is an attempt to get us to break the link with the Conservatives. They must have known it wouldn’t be acceptable to us, yet the offer is approved by the PM and the Conservative Party Board, this proposal has been thought out and is not an offer to negotiate.
We should therefore be asking what are their real plans. I can only see two options, either a complete pull out, which seems unlikely given the inclusion of the NI Tories in the letter, or a major investment in the party here.
A major investment should be a cause of serious concern to us as a well funded party with the Conservative machine, which is generally accepted as the best in the UK, behind it will be attractive to some of our disaffected voters and ex voters.
Unfortunately either alternative is not good for the UUP, we either disband and join the Tories or they take some of our voters and maybe members, this would cost us seats and hasten the decline in our vote percentage.
The question is what is the least worst option for us we need to consider our reaction carefully as it will have long reaching consequences.
I think its deeply unfair for Elliott to be asked to wind-up the Ulster Unionist Party.
He should be given the time and space to run it into the ground on his own.
Disgraceful extra pressure.
“The meetings of the so-called “Way Forward Group” have included UUP members such as Lesley McCauley, Johnny Andrews and Trevor Ringland. Neil Johnston of the Conservatives has also been involved, and John Lund.”
If this claim is correct then it is the best evidence to support Obelisk’s comments regarding Central Office not getting Northern Ireland politics.
Thanks to Eamonon for that more reflective post. When Shillers, Fair Deal et al have got past their indignation they need to think about the future of NI.
Why does NI need the UUP?
Should those who support the Union not welcome the fact that Cameron wants to end NI’s isolation from UK politics?
Does Elliott’s knee jerk reaction not amount to the expulsion of Jim Nicholson from the UUP? Feldman could not have been clearer. He wants people like Nicholson in the tent but is only prepared to do it on a ‘Conservative and Unionist’ basis within the UK party.
Are people not putting nostalgia and self interest ahead of moving on politics?
A strong Conservative Party (and ultimately Labour party) would be a strong counter balance to Sinn Fein and the parochial Ulster nationalism/populism of the DUP.
Cameron could simply ignored the UUP but he holds out a strong pro Union vision and a hand of partnership only to have his views thrown back at him by a man with no MPs and a clear contempt for the Conservative Party. Do all his MLAs and members share that contempt? – I think not.
One NI
Why does NI need the UUP?
It doesn’t in particular. Electorally it provides a home for those who simply don’t want to change their voting habit and those whose politics is primarily anti-DUP in basis.
Should those who support the Union not welcome the fact that Cameron wants to end NI’s isolation from UK politics?
The Tories have been here for over 20 years. Conservatives have no monoploy on Unionism. Presence and inclusion are not always the same thing.
Does Elliott’s knee jerk reaction not amount to the expulsion of Jim Nicholson from the UUP?
No. It means his participation in ECR hangs in the balance.
Are people not putting nostalgia and self interest ahead of moving on politics?
There are multiple reasons why the UUP is in the state it is. There is multiple reasons why UCUNF failed some of which was the Tories inability or unwillingness to understand NI politics. These are the fundamental problems to all this rather than nostalgia and self-interest.
OneNI, the part of the offer that we have thus far seen was always going to be unacceptable. You say with some indignation that it was “thrown back by a man with no MPs”. We’re talking about a region where the Conservative Party have less support than the UUP by a factor of nearly 100. That’s 1300 votes to 100k votes which, give or take a bit, has been the level of support for both parties since 2004. If NI doesn’t “need” the UUP, it clearly doesn’t want the Conservative Party on it’s own as it currently exists! Some form of co-operation is desirable and necessary, but there needs to be a little of realism in the discussion on what form that takes.
For now this speculation is just that, we’ll see what is really going on soon enough.
Didn’t the other chairman Baroness Warsi sign the letter too? Shame, her views on women and homosexuality might have tipped the balance!
If it wasn’t for circulation then someone should have told Neil Johnston to be more discrete.
I agree with Seymour Major on this. The Tories have very little support in Ireland. And if we’re all honest, they never will!
‘the part of the offer that we have thus far seen ‘
Michael I appreciate that as you are England you may not have seen the letter it is in the News Letter.
Thats the offer – an invitation from the Prime Minister to join the UK mainstream.
I have it on good authority the PM is in no mood for discussion – the UUP leadership have behaved too badly over the past few years.
The alternative?
Fair Deal – is Jim Nicholson resigning from ECR?
OneNI
The Tories have made an all or nothing offer in terms of relationship with the UUP. If the answer is No the JN’s continuing participation in the ECR may be a casuality of that No.
Emanonon,
As others have said, you raise a good point. I must say if that level of strategy lay behind the letter it seems to me more likely a preamble to pulling out rather than investing. Why throw good money after bad?
Though I suppose it is possible that Central Office is deluded enough to think that all they need to do is put some resources in to reap electoral benefit. In my view, that theory has been tested to destruction over the last 20 years, but I know others disagree.
OneNI/Fair Deal,
Jim Nicholson’s participation in the ECR is only loosely tied to the UUP/Conservative relationship. All European parliament groups are desperate to hang on to their existing members, so I doubt they will want to push him overboard; it’s not just the Tories, there are the Poles and Czechs as well, and every vote counts. I’m sure that other parliamentary groups may consider courting him once they find out what is going on (though they may not; I won’t tell them!), but I suspect that continuing the present arrangement is the least difficult option for all concerned.
His participation (to the extent that he does) in the Conservative Party delegation is a slightly different matter, but only slightly; unless there is a very serious rupture between the UUP and the Tories, rather than my expected outcome which is an agreement to generally ignore each other, I can’t see that changing either.
Read the whole letter, and you come to Nic Whyte‘s conclusion.
It refers not just to dissolution of the UUP, but also of the NI Tories. It would see them all – including the ones who made great play of leaving the UUP – assembled into the same party, which makes no sense.
The UUP will argue it already is NICUP, the NI Tories will argue it isn’t, the whole charade will continue to the detriment of both.
Just as a side point, with the world economy about to collapse, how much thought did the PM give to this really?!
Just as a side point, with the world economy about to collapse, how much thought did the PM give to this really?!
I’m guessing idolising Enoch Powell growing up was probably enough thought for him. More’s the pity.
I have been told (a caution though—it’s from just one source, albeit a highly placed on in the Assembly Group) that the UUP is to ‘leak’ some correspondence from the Conservative Party Chairman this coming week and that he is pretty uncomplimentary about the ‘political nous and talents’ of local Conservatives.
I concur with IJP and Nick Whyte. This is a very odd business and my personal view is that the local Conservatives wil be the real losers.
LP
NW IJP LD
The point that seems to be missed is control, it is clear from the letter that the Tories aren’t about to allow their name in NI to be used or represented by the UUP. With what they proposed they would be in total control of policy and would distance themselves from some of our more extreme members or links while still accessing our voter base.
I still think that they didn’t expect us to say yes but would be happy if we did. However they must have a plan if we say no and we need to be wary of it as the loss of only a few votes could lose us several Assembly seats. They have an office here now and the fact they were mentioned in the letter should not be ignored either.
We need to think carefully.
My guess and it’s just a guess is that he wants to gazzump the UUP to put up English born Tory Reserves up in Northern Ireland, they probably do the same in the other “regions”
Hilariously stupid.
Lots of nice theories about this one. I must admit to liking a good conspiracy theory. There is another option which could stand alongside and not necessarily displace the other suggestions.
There remains within the Northern Ireland Conservative Party a longing for political power and importance. Nothing wrong with that. The mechanism which the NI Tories have tried for a number of years is the apparently obvious idea of taking over / joining the UUP. They (the NI Tories) have problems with the UUP’s supposed baggage and presume that most of the UUP’s voters feel likewise. The reality seems very different. Most UUP voters seem happier with the UUP than the assorted Tories (traditional UUP types did better in the Westminster debacle). Those voters who have deserted the UUP over the past 20 years have gone to the DUP which has more perceived baggage (from a NI Tory viewpoint).
It is more than possible that some in the NI Tories have been badgering Tory Central Office about this for ages and now someone has fired off a letter at least in part to shut the NI Tories up. The fact that the UUP will dismiss it is irrelevant: Central Office can tell the NI Tories that they have done it and, hence, remove these odd people (the NI Tories proposing the idea) from annoying them.
On the issue of the What Forward or whatever else the failed UCUNF lot are calling themselves sadly we must turn to personalities. This is not man playing but observation.
The reality is that the Tory leaning UUPers / Tories who were defeated at Westminster (and Stormont) feel that they should have won and seem to blame the UUP and Tom Elliott for their failure. The reality is that although many of them have been fairly successful in their own careers they were disastrous as potential politicians. Believing that you would be a good politician; being middle class, fairly prominent and being interested in politics does not necessarily make one a good politician. Trevor Ringland might be a good solicitor he was unfortunately a useless prospective politician. Harry Hamilton (to pick another name) is undoubtedly a good singer and the UK’s leading Freddie Mercury impersonator: that does not necessarily make him a good politician.
The votes Hamilton got at Westminster were UUP votes as evidenced when he became Alliance and did much more poorly despite significant newly acquired name recognition. Ringland of course managed to take the best chance of a UUP win at Westminster and managed to give Alliance the seat. His subsequent behaviour demonstrated such a lack of team playing behaviour (remarkably odd from a former sports person but maybe highly indicative of the excess regard he held himself in) that I very much doubt anyone will ever give him another chance at a senior political role.
Much of the problem with the failed UCUNF politicians was a combination of naive over optimism, especially after the DUP’s problems of 2009-10; a degree self importance and an appearance of a feeling of entitlement to political office. When the electorate burst the self inflated bubble of their egocentric ambition they then blamed the UUP and Tom Elliott.
Two years on they still do not get it: Tom may have problems, he may not be the greatest leader (I think he is seriously underrated – though who am I to comment) but he is a vastly better politician and leader than any of the failed UCUNFers and unlike them he has the votes to prove it.
Still this letter may give the NI Tories something to get excited about. In that it keeps them away from annoying Central Office it may be job done for said Central Office. Such is the unimportance of the NI Tories that the UUP may not even be terribly annoyed: probably something factored into the equation by Central Office
This foolish idea runs up against several objections:-
1) Northern Ireland, being an artifical division of the island of Ireland running up unnecessary costs, requires a fairly hefty subsidy from the parliament of the imagined “Mainland” to keep it going, let alone to fend off attacks from ill-wishers;
2) The Conservative party is the agent of major private and corporate taxpayers, dedicated to keeping subventions down;
3) Unionists are historically office holders under the crown who wished to secure their position by keeping Imperial institutions intact. Such entrepreneurs as there were (Harland & Wolff f.e.) have long since disappeared.
As such the union of the Conservatives and any kind of Unionist is a marriage made in hell, of Scrooge matched to spend spend spend Viv Nicholson.
Lady Sylvia has got it right. The richest constituency in NI is still too poor to align itself with the Conservatives. The UUP would do well to take orders from her. Then at least they would have an M.P.
emanonon (12.30pm):
There is nowhere in the letter to suggest that the Conservatives would be “in total control of policy.” What is being proposed amounts to little more than an in-law by marriage relationship. As with Scotland and Wales they would have been allowed considerable opt-out powers.
But more important, since all UUP members and NI Conservative members would ‘automatically’ become members of NICUP, it would mean the end of the NI Conservatives as a separate entity and the almost certain control of NICUP by the UUP overwhelming majority. So no idea why the local Cons would regard that as progress!
Elliott’s rejection gets Central Office off the hook in terms of the present tri-part relationship between Central Office/UUP/and NI Conservatives—-which did so much to undermine the UCUNF experiment. BUT: it also leaves the way open for the UUP and Central Office to begin new talks at another time, just between themselves; something that neither Elliott nor Feldman has ruled out. So more bad news for the local Cons.
Elliott’s rejection leaves the NI Cons out on their own and mostly depenedent on their own financial resources. Had the Central Office proposals been accepted then all UUP MLAs, Associations (complete with expenses, funding, resources etc etc) would automatically switch to NICUP. But since there is no deal there is no ready built constituency and campaign machinery for Central Office to tap into. And there is no way that Central office will put up the dosh, machine, manpower or PR. And no NICUP presence in the Assembly or local councils. But at least they can say to the local Cons: “look, guys, we tried. in the meantime see what you can do on your own. By the way, where are all those UUP defectors and MLAs and councillors you have been hinting at for months?”
Irwin Armstrong and some other key locals have been sucked into all of this. That’s why it was so important that he be mentioned in Feldman’s letter. Central Office are now leaving him out to dry.
No doubt Owen Paterson and Feldman will be asked in the next few days to give a “100% guarantee that, now that Elliott has rejected the deal, that the Conservative Party will field its own candidates under its own banner at all future elections.”
Elliott will be happy enough with this development. The tone and arrogance of the letter will make it almost impossible for anyone in the UUP (if, indeed, there are any at all) to jump ship. The NI Cons are an almost lifeless force, so no elected UUP member or anyone who fancies a political career is going to jump ship.
Similarly, the sort of people that the Conservatives hoped to attract will have been put off by the prospect of a merger between the UUP and NI Cons which would have put the UUP in the driving seat.
As has been pointed out by a number of people, this was a very silly letter for Feldman to write. Unless, of course, his primary object was to completely undermine Irwin Armstrong and the NI Conservatives. For that is certainly the net outcome of this development.
LP
Turgon
Essentially I agree with you, but I don’t think you are fair about the personalities you name.
In fact, Ringland’s 7,000+ votes is rather better than the UUP’s subsequent <3,000 just a year on; likewise, Hamilton more than trebled the Alliance vote in Upper Bann. They were both damned if they did and damned if they didn't subsequently – if they had stuck with the UUP, it would have been with a Leader who was not a liberalising force; if they switched party, they were defectors; if they withdrew from seeking election, they were full of themselves. But the fact is they both behaved honourably and, in fact, neither was the electoral disaster people make them out to be – quite the contrary, once you include the context.
The real issue is that the UUP (and indeed the electorate) is a different breed west of the Bann and in border areas than it is in Greater Belfast (and, to a lesser extent, the North Coast). Electorally, you could argue Elliott is wisely propping up the vote by appealing to that Western/Border ("harder line") vote. Politically, I and others simply disagree with that.
Meanwhile, Langdale is absolutely spot on as ever.
IJP,
Your analysis shrieks it’s own omission, that being the fact that Ringland left the UUP very shortly after Elliot was elected and on the clear basis of some comments made and not made, whereas Hamilton magnanimously left on a point of principle when he could not live with the situation. In a total coincidence this was immediately after he failed to get selected to run for the Assembly by the UUP.
Perhaps you just forgot to mention that. It’s not as if you know anyone who did precisely the same thing.
Reasons why the Conservative Party offer will be rejected,
Irwin Armstrong
Jeff Peel
Neil Johnston
John K Lund
Roger Lomas
nuff said
UnionistVoter – I’m not sure why you’ve included me in the list as I’m no longer a member of any political Party. Unlike the others you mention I had nothing to do with UCUNF and have nothing whatsoever to do with any new Conservative/Unionist Party. I’m the mere (minor) political blogger that broke the story because the Conservatives fed it to me.
And you dutifully did your bidding.
Nothing to do with UCUNF? Why did you take it upon yourself to create a half baked website for it then? Why were you on the joint committee?
Michael
You forgot to mention the 10,000 voters who backed UCUNF in 2010 and Alliance in 2011. But why deal with a significant proportion of the electorate while you can stick your fingers in your ears, castigate a few individuals and pretend it isn’t happening?!
As it happens, I broadly share your other views on the topic of the thread.
unionistvoter
The real issue is that the stated position of these individuals, renowned for attacking Ulster Unionists, is that they’d now like to be in the same party as them.
Conspiracy corner
On the other hand it could be another establishment attempt to further bind SF into democratic politics, and remember Newton’s third law which has its own manifestation in NI politics
For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.
First they came for the UUP
Then they came for the SDLP
People are left with DUP and SF . True bipolarisation and binary politics without any of the sideshows.
Michael Shilliday And you dutifully did your bidding.
“Nothing to do with UCUNF? Why did you take it upon yourself to create a half baked website for it then? Why were you on the joint committee?”
Good point MS, who is JP trying to bluff with saying “I had nothing to do with UCUNF” when he was one of the leading lights on the original UCUNF committee?
We were talking about candidates, not voters Ian, but I’m sure changing the subject makes life easier for you.
Michael and dwatch, just for clarification I had nothing whatsoever to do with UCUNF. As a local Conservative Party officer, I went along with the plan to work with the UUP on the basis that I wanted the UUP removed for the ballot paper i.e. one less sectarian political party replaced with a secular, national Party. I resigned from the joint committee because I was unwilling to work with a UUP Executive that systemically lied – and a CCHQ organisation that was bending over backwards for every UUP whim. I resigned because I was unwilling to have anything to do with the UCUNF branding and because I was convinced that the UUP would stone-wall any attempt to put forward progressive Conservative candidates. Here’s the news report from the time in case you were in any doubt: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/7928536.stm
Thanks for that Jeff. It confirms that you were up to your neck in UCUNF until you thought you weren’t getting it all your own way.
Michael, yes, indeed, I resigned from the joint committee. I was also fired by CCHQ as an elected Officer of the Conservative Party a day after I resigned from the joint committee (over a year prior to the 2010 General Election). This means, of course, that I never campaigned for UCUNF at any time or for any election. I resigned completely from the Conservative Party when it decided to enter into an anti-democratic electoral pact with the UUP and DUP in Fermanagh South Tyrone during the 2010 election campaign. I hope that helps clarify things for you.
” I went along with the plan to work with the UUP on the basis that I wanted the UUP removed for the ballot paper i.e. one less sectarian political party replaced with a secular, national Party.”
Come come now Jeff, did you expect David Trimble, Reg Empey, David Campbell most UUP MLA’s, councillors & members of the UUP executive all to resign from the Orange Order and burn their sashes to please Mr Peel?
.
dwatch – no. That’s why I resigned.
that was never ever ever going to happen in any circumstances Jeff, you would have been extremely foolish not to know that, so why did you go so far in the discussions?
There would appear to be an impression that this was a Conservative inistigated move, The facts are that very senior members of the UUP have for some months seriousely courting the Tories at a series of meetings both at Hillsborough Castle and culminating at the Conservative Party Conference where they attended the NI Conservative evening. One senior UUP MLA has recently stated that Mr Elliott was even invited to meet the PM,which he didnt but did meet Lord Feldman.Therefore it is no surprise to the reaction when it is obvious that the UUP rank and file knew nothing or little what their senior personnel were trying to do.As to whether the NI conservatives can achieve electoral success going forward it is crass stupidity to believe that any party has a God given right to support from the electorate hence the meteoric slump in the UUP