Monday, August 27, 2007
UUP blogger in call to leave Executive…
YOUNG Unionist blogger Rick Cairns has laid his cards on the table and said the UUP should move into Opposition, attracting a fair amount of criticism in the process. However, the party appears to be keeping such a shift on the long finger.
Cairns writes:
The UUP needs to gain the trust of the electorate that has been lost to the DUP since 1998. This can be done by offering a real alternative to the DUP-Sinn Fein coalition. The issue of power-sharing has been resolved; the UUP has repeatedly proven, and the DUP now has proven that unionists cannot be accused of ‘not wanting a Catholic about the place’.
The D’dondt system was always an interim measure to build confidence in the community to allow the politicians to share-power. The work begins now to move from mandatory to voluntary coalition; from collective to majority government. The first step in that journey is opposition. That is democracy. The one party slogan I agreed with in recent years I will reiterate now: Let’s get real.
Belfast Gonzo @ 01:29 PM
Oh nuts & My one desire
the answer is surely to remove the sectarian designation of the MLAs and require that any cabinet and programme of government must obtain the support of, say, 65% of voting MLAs within six weeks of an election. That cabinet would be bound by collective responsibility and whatever coalition deals were necessary to form it. The numbers mean it would be cross community in make up and face a proper opposition.
Posted by on Aug 29, 2007 @ 09:33 PMIf it was 65% support that could mean 35% out of the 40% nationalists being excluded. In other words 7 out of 8 nationalists being excluded.
Any govt must continue to have majority support from both communities here.
Also, given that nationalists have a veto over any change, you guys can quit dreaming unless you come up with a reform that can continue Power Sharing.
If you don’t accept Power Sharing, nationalists won’t accept the legitimacy of Northern Ireland.
Full stop.
Posted by on Aug 29, 2007 @ 09:44 PMoh nuts
So you support a sectarian veto? That’s going to deliver us from sectarianism, is it?
Personally I’d set the threshold a little higher than Bonar Law, at maybe 70%.
But frankly, if a law has the support of all of one “side”, all not belonging to any “side”, and some of the “other side”, that’s comprehensive enough for me.
Unionists only have 50% on their own. Even 65% is pretty secure for everyone.
Time to end the sectarian veto and introduce democracy.
Posted by on Aug 29, 2007 @ 09:52 PMIf you don’t accept Power Sharing, nationalists won’t accept the legitimacy of Northern Ireland.
Full stop.
Posted by Oh Nuts… on Aug 29, 2007 @ 09:44 PM
Big deal, unionists wont lose sleep over it
Posted by on Aug 29, 2007 @ 09:54 PMOh nuts
maths not your strong point?
Anyway, without designations those who were not part of the government would be those who could not cut a deal with potential coalition partners regardless of their position on the constitutional question.
Posted by on Aug 29, 2007 @ 09:58 PM“So you support a sectarian veto? That’s going to deliver us from sectarianism, is it?”
It’s an absolute guarantee that nothing goes on here without us saying so, and there will be no repeat of past misgovernment. Any Nationalist party that gives it up will get hammered. Not only Unionists have trust issues.
Oh, and of course, 65% is enough to permanently exclude SF. Perhaps you remember th endless arguments of that theme. No deal.
Posted by on Aug 29, 2007 @ 09:58 PMkensei
make it 70% then.
Posted by on Aug 29, 2007 @ 10:13 PMWhy don’t we just randomly exclude one party to be the opposition? It would be quicker and more fun.
Posted by on Aug 29, 2007 @ 10:21 PMkensei
wait...why don’t we just create as many government departments as there are parties in the Assembly. That doctor chap from Omagh shouldn’t be excluded either…
Posted by on Aug 29, 2007 @ 10:26 PMBonar
Why stop there? We could have as many jobs as there are MLAs?
If you want “proper” democracy, it can be guaranteed in a UI scenario.......
Posted by on Aug 29, 2007 @ 11:27 PM
