Wednesday, June 25, 2008
DUP announces Autumn push
Yesterday Peter Robinson announced a new three pronged strategy for the DUP commencing in the autumn. It intends to establish a British Unionist Academy with the tasks to:
“promote the unionist culture and the advantages of the Union; encourage unionist learning in the community and provide a forum for unionist strategising and policy-making”
The Academy will have a particular focus on young people. It will also establish a British Cultural and Equality Unit to provide legal advice to organisations and people fighting the removal of British emblems. This DUP will also commence a pro-active approach to selling the advantages of devolution. The intention is to reconnect with the grassroots and tackle issues around voter turnout.
Fair Deal @ 07:34 PM
Talk about paranoia and a siegementality!
Posted by on Jun 25, 2008 @ 08:06 PMDUP meets BNP?
Posted by on Jun 25, 2008 @ 08:08 PMHitler Youth anybody?
LOL
Posted by on Jun 25, 2008 @ 08:19 PMWonderful. No initiative on changing the nature of the summer “celebrations”. Nothing on outreach. Just the same old “ourselves alone”. Depressing.
Posted by on Jun 25, 2008 @ 08:25 PMSome kind of / any kind of reach out to the wider nationalist community might be more effective, but no, its circle the wagons instead.
Posted by on Jun 25, 2008 @ 08:28 PMIt will surprise few regulars here that I agree with Jim Allister that this may very well have a great deal more to do with distracting people from the realities of the DUP having gone into power sharing with SF and that the rest is probably window dressing.
If, however, this produces some help for people trying to stop the removal of the likes of Mr. Massey’s statue that is to be welcomed.
On the “unionist academy”, if Robinson is going to try to discuss these issues with broader unionism I hope he will be asking those who disagree with the current dispensation what they want.
Ironically if he wishes to maximise unionist turn out and reduce non voting, having a party to the “right” of the new DUP position would seem logical; not necessarily what Robinson would want.
The question remains: is this the latest tactic in Robinson’s internecine battle with the UUP and now the TUV as well or is this the beginnings of a strategy for improving the position of unionists?
To those denouncing this move from a more nationalist perspective I would ask why? I accept that you may not be dying about people trying to stop the removal of British culture but if a party is trying to reconnect with and listen to its grass roots and the wider unionist community why is that akin to the Hitler Youth? How does asking your support base to get involved and asking them what they want preclude also reaching out to the other community?
As I said though I am inclined to suspect it is simply the latest cunning wheeze from Dundela avenue to bash the UUP and TUV.
Posted by on Jun 25, 2008 @ 08:42 PMI fail to see what business the likes of this is to any nationalist.
It cant be surprising that they seek to promote unionism.
As to the symbols debacles, the DUP can combine every legal genius they have but surely even this is unlikely to overturn Equality legislation.
Posted by on Jun 25, 2008 @ 08:56 PMIt intends to establish a British Unionist Academy with the tasks to: “promote the unionist culture and the advantages of the Union; encourage unionist learning in the community”
Great. Bible studies all around!
Posted by on Jun 25, 2008 @ 08:57 PMTurgon @ 09:42 PM:
Thank you, Turgon-the-Wise: we know and respect where you are coming from.
It’s just that ... well, “unionist academy”, particularly from the Robinsons (if not from the DUP altogether), seems an oxymoron. It smacks of “fighting for freedom” or “military intelligence” or “faith unfaithful kept him true”.
Will there be diplomas and a graduation ceremony?
Posted by on Jun 25, 2008 @ 09:00 PMDewi
“No initiative on changing the nature of the summer “celebrations”. “
The Loyal Orders are already working on that plus various local council initiatives as well.
“Nothing on outreach. Just the same old “ourselves alone”. “
Outreach in a NI context can easily turn into patronising people. As SF’s programme has shown going along smiling nicely and re-iterating the party line in person doesn’t achieve anything for anybody.
I don’t reject the notion of the idea but if it isn’t going to be done well and sensitively then it is pointless window-dressing.
Turgon
“is this the latest tactic in Robinson’s internecine battle with the UUP and now the TUV as well or is this the beginnings of a strategy for improving the position of unionists?”
An understandable question but surely an unanswerable one, it is possible for the same idea to be applied to achieve different goals. It is the intent and implementation that evidence that and even then it may take time to determine.
“why is that akin to the Hitler Youth?”
Don’t feed the trolls
Posted by on Jun 25, 2008 @ 09:01 PMWonderful. No initiative on changing the nature of the summer “celebrations”. Nothing on outreach. Just the same old “ourselves alone”. Depressing.
Posted by dewi on Jun 25, 2008 @ 09:25 PM................................................
DOH! Sinn Fein means “Ourselves Alone”, the slogan has sweet f.a. to do with the DUP or any other Unionist party! Perhaps you should stick with Wales’ constitutional politics, Dewi, as I have suggested in the past, rather than continually criticizing and making derogatory remarks about the community I come from and the politicians who represent my community. Are you so enamoured with your own politicians in Wales that they are above reproach and far superior to my local DUP representatives?
Regarding the issue at hand, it all sounds well and good and could be an interesting initiative by the DUP, but I’ll believe it when I see it. To quote an age-old proverb;
“The proof of the pudding is in the eating”.All these soundbites about the DUP wanting to “reconnect with the grassroots” are all nice, PR-friendly rhetoric, but actions are louder than words. I want DUP councillors/MLAs/MPs to show more of an interest in the loyalist communities that put them into power, rather than the handful of appearances they make that are suspiciously concentrated around Election Time.
Posted by on Jun 25, 2008 @ 09:15 PM“British Unionist Academy”. What a brilliant idea. With Professor Robinson in charge we will have an educational establishment to rival Oxbridge, Harvard and the Cuddly Cubs nursery school in Stewartstown.
No doubt the “Painting Kerbstones” module will be very popular with the knowledge-hungry young students of British Ulster like as will the field trips to Clontibret.
Posted by on Jun 25, 2008 @ 09:24 PMLaughable.
The Alliance vote is there for the taking if ANYONE in unionism wants a broad consensus. And I know many people who vote UUP/DUP whatever who actually believe Alliance policies. Many decent Roman Catholics would vote for such a party also, rather than not vote and let PSF/PIRA in to power. The DUP and SF are almost mirror images, OK the DUP didn’t murder and maim the catholic population the way SF did against protestants, but they are both of negative mindsets. This DUP stuff is of the same calibre of SF rednecks.
EmbarrassingPosted by on Jun 25, 2008 @ 09:26 PMLaugh or cry .... it is the sheer and utter lack of imagination of this initiative that astounds. Rather than proactive engagement it is thought-police all round.
and laughably who’ll be footing the bill… yep us taxpayers..
Perhaps the Robinson-stasi might spend effort trying to get the offspring of their constituents into third level education ... that is usually a good start to developing a society. That way they might see the world in more rounded terms than this entrenching in “Our Wee Country (World)”.
However, it is significant that what at heart lies beneath this is that DUP and shades are realising that their populus are moving to an ambivilent stance more concerned with day to day living than trooping out to support a statelet. Hence the need for a year zero re-education approach.... what next rounding up and sending people to the (paddy)fields of Castlereagh and Antrim for cultural alignment. (Bet you in Peter and Iris’s feavered moments (no don’t imagine that kind of moment!) that is their dream).
Posted by on Jun 25, 2008 @ 09:32 PMAll this talk of unionist non-voters…
Would the more numerically-inclined amongst you know what the unionist non-turn-out is, when it comes to the last couple of elections? Roughly...? Ballpark figure..?
Would anyone hazard a guess at how many of them, if so inclined to turn out, would actually vote for the DUP?
I ask, out of interest only.
Posted by on Jun 25, 2008 @ 09:33 PM“promote the unionist culture and the advantages of the Union”
I thought the Union was safe? Thats what the DUP keep telling us. If it is safe, why then the need to highlight the advantages of the Union,if indeed any exist, and to whom do they purport to sell this message? Republican/nationalist voters? As for the Unionist culture, it shouldn’t be too hard to sell or learn i.e. it involves speaking in a Ballymena accent (Ulster-Scots), flag waving, Xenophobia and burning tyres, I wonder what our new environment minister thinks of the latter?
“encourage unionist learning...”
Don’t make me laugh!
“unionist strategising and policy-making”
Again I thought the Union was safe? Strategising for what then? In terms of policy making its quite evident what their policies are i.e. say no to anything that anyone else proposes because its better to live in the past than to embrace change.
Posted by on Jun 25, 2008 @ 09:34 PMOh dear, those pesky unionists wont lie down and do what theyre told, maybe Gerry will have to pull the assembly down if they dont behave. Well, guess thats better than killing prods, a step up for nationalists anyway.
Posted by on Jun 25, 2008 @ 09:36 PMDempster spouts:
“It will offer a forum where DUP “policies can be formulated” but it will also be an educational vehicle.”
This isn’t a Unionist academy, it’s a DUP academy. It’s nothing more than Turgon suggests. No pan Unionist establishment, just the DUP policy and press units with a fancy new name.
Posted by on Jun 25, 2008 @ 09:36 PMConcerned Loyalist - “I’ll believe it when I see it”
I agree. The DUP have been very disappointing from a Unionist point of view. Is this yet another stunt without any substance? As you say, “The proof of the pudding is in the eating”.
Posted by on Jun 25, 2008 @ 09:46 PMturgon
I accept that you may not be dying about people trying to stop the removal of British culture but if a party is trying to reconnect with and listen to its grass roots and the wider unionist community why is that akin to the Hitler Youth?
cause its not about reconnecting or listening to its grass roots its about training the grass roots to follow the party line like good little robots.
get em early train em right
Posted by on Jun 25, 2008 @ 09:47 PMcause its not about reconnecting or listening to its grass roots its about training the grass roots to follow the party line like good little robots.
get em early train em right
Posted by Steve on Jun 25, 2008 @ 10:47 PMOh you mean like the nationalist community who have loved their little terrorists so much they voted for them.
Posted by on Jun 25, 2008 @ 09:50 PMRaven
From memory about 40-50K regular UUP voters have disappeared in the past two/three elections and about 10K for the smaller Unionist parties seem to have disappeared too. The NI election website will give you the data in terms of broad figures rather than my late-night recollections. It is largely an east Ulster phenomenon.
(IMPORTANT NOTE: The figures would generally indicate that turnout dip has not had a detrimental impact on the DUP but there is a chance that its vote has been similarly effected but the transfers of voters from other parties has masked this)
The most recent high tide mark for Unionism was the Westminster election in 2001. This is when competition between the two main Unionist parties was at its height. It also constituted a reversal of previous trends of decline. The high degree of competition meant both parties launched very strong campaigning and it resulted in better turnout.
There seems to be anecdotal stuff that the failure to run propoer registration campiagns had something of an depressing impact in the 07 Assembly election.
“Would anyone hazard a guess at how many of them, if so inclined to turn out, would actually vote for the DUP?”
Anyone who tries to answer that is a fraud. All we know is that they used to vote who they used to vote for and where they were. Age? Social Class? Left or Right of Unionism? Nobody has the first clue and neither has anyone bothered to research it.
Posted by on Jun 25, 2008 @ 10:09 PMNot at all Observer
You havent been very observant if you believe that, they vote for them because they deliver for that community better than all the others combined. Its actually the unionists that have the best chance of driving down the shinner vote, by moving into the 20th century and trying to establish an egalitarean society they would destroy the protest vote. Can’t even imagine what would happen if the Unionists made it all the way to the 21st century
How many nationalists hold their nose when they vote because they know a vote for the SDLP is a vote down the crapper
I really wish the SDLP would become more militantly nationalist and challenge the shinners. problem is where do the garden centre catholics go, Alliance?
If the SDLP ever really want to make in roads and get their vote back then they need to become militantly nationalist and lose the stoop down low party image. Durkan seems to be catching on as his rhetoric is starting to show some spine, except he needs to quit solely attacking the shinners and start in on the unionists.
Atleast now the chances of a militant nationalist being visited by a government death squad are relatively slight.
Posted by on Jun 25, 2008 @ 10:11 PMWhen I first read the title I thought it said putsch. Phew!
Posted by on Jun 25, 2008 @ 10:24 PMWill the academy be in Cookstown? Sorry, that’s Police Academy.
Posted by on Jun 25, 2008 @ 10:29 PM
