Michael Palmer – Slugger O'Toole

Ulster Unionist Party: New Chapter, New Leadership

Michael Palmer on February 6, 2026, 11:26 am

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Jon Burrows MLA and Diana Armstrong MLA are now Leader and Deputy Leader of the Ulster Unionist Party. Many will ask what the new leadership of the Ulster Unionist Party will mean for the party and unionism. As a member of the Ulster Unionist Party, I cannot tell you the future but I can give you an insight into what this new chapter of the new leadership may entail. Clarity Jon’s leadership style is direct, confident and down-to-earth. I have …

In Reply to Choyaa: The UUP Has a Future…

Michael Palmer on June 3, 2024, 8:40 am

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I read Choyaa’s article entitled ‘Should the UUP just quit rather than have the slow decline?’ published on Slugger O’Toole on 24th May 2024. As someone who had quit the party after a decade of service in May 2023, I now regret that decision (I will learn from it) – I should have stayed in the UUP and not lost faith in it (the UUP is my political home). I understand a series of poor election results can be demoralising …

Planned Realignment within Unionism: Easier said than done?

Michael Palmer on February 12, 2024, 2:55 pm

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white and black concrete building

Ian Clarke wrote a good article on Slugger O’Toole entitled “Come Together, Right Now” published on 9th February 2024 regarding where unionism is now that Stormont has been restored, akin to his many previous articles on unionism. Realignment within unionism is talked about but does anyone know what it means? My own understanding is that it would be two new unionist parties – presumably a moderate one that is pro-devolution and a hardline one that is Stormont-sceptical (they may not …

Looking towards the DUP Conference 2023: Holding out for a better tomorrow…

Michael Palmer on October 2, 2023, 8:21 am

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The Windsor Framework As we approach DUP Conference 2023, I read Sir Jeffrey Donaldson’s article entitled: ‘The Windsor Framework does not go far enough to repair the damage to Northern Ireland and to restore Stormont. This is a time to hold our nerve’ published in the News Letter on 30th September 2023. In this article, the DUP Leader argues that “the Windsor Framework represents significant progress, but it does not go far enough toward restoring Northern Ireland’s place in the …

Unionist Pacts: Deal or No Deal?

Michael Palmer on June 14, 2023, 7:05 am

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two human hands painting

Although it has only been some weeks since the results of the 2023 Council elections, already there is discussion within unionist circles on how best unionism can prepare itself for the next foreseeable election: the general election, which is scheduled to be held no later than the 28th January 2025. The Purpose of Pacts Nationalists and republicans view unionist pacts very negatively, even though political nationalism and republicanism have used pacts historically in attempts and to actually defeat unionist candidates. …

In Reply to Choyaa: The UUP in 2023…

Michael Palmer on February 25, 2023, 7:00 am

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I read Choyaa’s article on Slugger O’Toole published on 23rd February 2023 entitled ‘Is the UUP really in its end-of-life phase or is there a way back for it from the political doldrums?’ I don’t deny there are challenges for my party the Ulster Unionist Party. These challenges however can be our greatest opportunities for a political revival. Choyaa has put a lot of effort into writing that article and as a member of the Ulster Unionist Party, I believe …

Rebuilding Unionist Support for the Belfast Agreement…

Michael Palmer on January 30, 2023, 7:00 am

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A Book Full of Hope book

I read the recent LucidTalk poll published in the Belfast Telegraph that showed only 35% of unionists polled would still support the Belfast Agreement “if there was a vote on it today.” A majority of unionists at 54% would not vote for it today, with 11% saying that they “Don’t Know” or are “Not Sure” or have “No Opinion.” As a pro-Agreement unionist, I am saddened by the results but I accept them. It’s been clear to me for many …

DUP Conference 2022: Where unionism is and where it might go…

Michael Palmer on October 6, 2022, 11:46 am

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red and blue arrow sign surrounded by brown trees

The Three Kingdoms of Unionism The DUP will be holding its annual conference this weekend. I can remember in August 2021, the DUP was at its lowest point in LucidTalk’s opinion poll at 13% with its rivals the UUP and TUV at 16% and 14% respectively. Now, one year on, as of August 2022, the DUP sits at 24%; the UUP at 11%; and TUV at 6% according to LucidTalk’s opinion poll. This time last year, it was believed the …

Cost of Living Crisis Will Revive Stormont…

Michael Palmer on August 10, 2022, 11:00 am

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shopping, spending, till slip

The Politics-Pausing Protocol The third attempt to restore Stormont was unsurprisingly unsuccessful. The same arguments on both sides of the protocol debate were played out as they have been over the months. However, as we know in politics, events take over. The cost of living crisis is one that affects us all. The protocol is undoubtedly an important issue within unionism that evokes much emotion. But we also have to eat, pay bills and have access to a healthcare system …

Why A Single Unionist Party May Not Be A Panacea…

Michael Palmer on May 12, 2022, 10:14 am

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The Northern Ireland Assembly Election 2022 has fundamentally changed Northern Ireland politics: Sinn Fein has emerged as the largest party, allowing it the right to nominate a republican First Minister for the first time; the Alliance Party has more than doubled its representation in seats to become the third-largest party representing the Other bloc; the SDLP has lost a third of its seats, dropping to fifth place; and the Green Party lost its only two seats. As for unionism: the …

In Response to Jamie Bryson: What a Union of People Means…

Michael Palmer on March 22, 2022, 8:10 am

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uk, united kingdom, 3d

I read Jamie Bryson’s article entitled: ‘The UUP’s Union of the People argument is loose ground upon which nothing permanent can be built’, published on Slugger O’Toole on 21 March 2022. Jamie and I hold different views on various political issues, though I cannot help but notice we do share some similarities, being that we are both unionists from Ards and North Down around the same age with probably a similar experience of growing up within our predominantly unionist borough. …

Russian Invasion of Ukraine: International Relations Theory…

Michael Palmer on March 3, 2022, 10:53 am

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soldiers, war, gun

In trying to understand the grave, current political times the world finds itself in regards to the totally amoral Russian invasion of Ukraine, I often think back to what I had learnt in my International Relations classes as part of my Politics degree that I studied many years ago. One theory of international relations that I have always referred to for my understanding of global politics is the theory of realism. Put simply, realism assumes that states behave like humans …

Loyalist Engagement Survey: What It Means for Unionism/Loyalism…

Michael Palmer on September 1, 2021, 7:11 am

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Let’s Talk Loyalism (LTL) recently published their survey examining a defined segment of loyalist opinion on the Northern Ireland Protocol, Policing and Politics. The full report, its methodology and its key findings can be found on its website. As the survey was only completed by 1,020 respondents, most of whom as LTL has acknowledged are “middle-aged, male and either from County Antrim, County Armagh or County Down,” it cannot be taken as a representative survey of loyalist opinion in its …

Loyalism’s Response to the Northern Ireland Protocol…

Michael Palmer on February 18, 2021, 10:18 am

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We have seen media coverage of the banners, posters and murals being put up rejecting the Irish Sea Border, the implementation of the Northern Ireland Protocol and even in some cases withdrawing support from the Good Friday Agreement and calling for the collapse of Stormont. However, behind this disapproval and anger, we have not seen analysis of why specifically loyalists are rejecting the Northern Ireland Protocol; their understanding of recent political events relating to it and what they propose to …

Final US Presidential Debate 2020: Trump v Biden…

Michael Palmer on October 27, 2020, 9:48 am

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The final presidential debate was a lot more moderate in tone and controlled than the previous one. Both candidates were mostly respectful towards each other and largely adhered to the debating rules. We actually got to hear them speaking without the other continually interrupting. However, will their views on the issues make any difference to voting intention at this late stage in the 2020 presidential election? Below, I have covered the issues discussed that would be of interest to an …

Vice Presidential Debate 2020: Pence v Harris…

Michael Palmer on October 10, 2020, 9:11 pm

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The Vice Presidential Debate 2020 was a welcome return to debating normality from the insults and shouting of the Presidential debate between Trump and Biden in the previous week. Both Mike Pence and Kamala Harris were respectful towards each other and kept the debate focused on policy, where many key differences between them were explored. I thought both candidates were actually better than their respective presidential running mates, making them worthy successors to Trump or Biden should either have to …

US Presidential Debate 2020: Policy Differences…

Michael Palmer on October 4, 2020, 8:57 am

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If you watched the US Presidential Debate 2020 between Donald Trump and Joe Biden hoping for a detailed policy discussion, you would be very disappointed. The debate largely descended into trash-talking, insults and wild accusations. There was some policy discussion to be had, of which I have salvaged from an hour-and-a-half of headache-inducing yelling – and interestingly, the debate segment on climate change was probably the most productive and civil: Supreme Court Trump defended his nomination of Amy Coney Barrett …

Speech Wars: Trump v Biden…

Michael Palmer on August 30, 2020, 12:02 pm

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Both speeches of the two US presidential candidates at their respective party’s national convention accepting their party’s nomination are very different, only sharing a few similarities. Both Trump and Biden believe the upcoming US presidential election will be the most important of all – though don’t all candidates say that? They say this for different reasons, though: For Trump, “this election will decide if we save the American dream or whether we allow a socialist agenda to demolish our cherished …

Loyalism: The Enduring Perception of Loss…

Michael Palmer on June 12, 2020, 10:12 am

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Background My university dissertation that I began researching and writing in Summer 2013 to eventually submit in Spring 2014 asked the question ‘Why do Northern Ireland loyalists feel they have lost out from the peace process and current political settlement?’ This was a question that I genuinely was curious about during the 2012-2013 flag protests resulting from the vote in December 2012 in Belfast City Council to reduce the number of days the union flag flew atop Belfast City Hall. …

Our New Class System During The Coronavirus Pandemic…

Michael Palmer on June 2, 2020, 10:18 am

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The coronavirus pandemic has completely reordered the world as we know it. Simple, everyday things that we took for granted such as shopping or going to the gym or bars have either been taken or been severely restricted for the good of public health. In these restrictions that have become the new normal has emerged a new class system in all societies all over the world: Essential Workers and Shielders. A third group are those who fall somewhere in between. …