dupconf

DUP Conference report #DUP23

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Sir Jeffrey Donaldson’s speech to conference (YouTube) in the Crowne Plaza Hotel in south Belfast was long and steady. (At five thousand words, it had a higher word count than any of the last six addresses by leaders to their main annual conference.) It was subtle in how it underlined certain issues, but avoided saying anything incendiary, or taking any serious potshots at other parties. This was not a speech that intended to light any fires. Instead it was about …

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DUP Conference – smaller event enthusiastically embraces new leader #dup22

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“We have cause for optimism” said Stephen Dunne, North Down MLA in his mid-morning speech. He was referring to the party’s “strength and the determination to defend Northern Ireland’s place in the Union”. But walking into the Crowne Plaza Hotel at Shaws Bridge, I wondered if “optimism” was on the minds of DUP delegates returning to the scene of leadership challenges and fractious votes over the last 18 months. Today was their first conference since the pandemic, and the first …

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DUP Conference – subdued members reminded that NI has new identities that need space to grow and prosper #dup19

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The DUP conference included multiple references to ‘next generation unionism’. The days of Union Flags being left on delegates’ seats to be waved with proud fervour during the leaders’ speech now seem to be over. Shouts of “for she’s a jolly good fellow” have also been banished, along with Willie McCrea’s singing from the front. The conference is now more sober in its organisation, as is the mood.

Foster expresses deep regret for party’s mistakes over RHI while Boris imagines ‘UKNI’ dystopia but fails to excite DUP activists #DUP18

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Read back key sections and listen to speeches from today’s DUP Conference. Arlene Foster apologised for the party’s mistakes over RHI, hinted at a ‘cultural deal’ and expressed her wish for devolution to be restored. Boris Johnson spoke about buses, Brexit and light sabres …

Previewing this weekend’s DUP conference #dup17

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Tomorrow’s DUP conference is a big moment for the DUP and one that they’ll want to steer away from the evangelical zeal (and language) of some previous conferences to look modern and trustworthy as the eyes of the world’s press fall on their demeanour as much as their message.

#dup89 NIO’s DUP conference report: “many of the speeches and sentiments expressed were depressingly predictable” #20yearrule

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DUP ALL OUT FOR DEVOLUTION says NIO official in his report on the DUP’s 1989 conference. The DUP was seen to be relaunching itself as the main unionist. Analysis suggested the UUP were finding it difficult to maintain their position faced with the twin electoral threats of a resurgent DUP and Conservative growth.

DUP’s victory lap celebrates election success, belittles Opposition, criticises Dublin & sets out Brexit negotiation principles

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DUP CONFERENCE celebrated Assembly election success and demonstrated party unity as it poked fun at the Opposition, criticised the Irish Government, and set out the DUP’s principles for Brexit negotiations. The leader’s speech was light on policy – perhaps understandable in the vacuum before specific Programme for Government action plans are announced.

Party faithful pay tribute to Robinson as he “steps back from front line politics & steps out of the limelight” #dup15

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There were few surprises during the Saturday sessions of the DUP conference. While the next party leader and First Minister were anointed with praise, neither Nigel Dodds or Arlene Foster were taking anything for granted and second guessing the inevitable view of the elected representatives who will shortly back their formal promotion to new roles. There was a sense of “less is more” about the agenda, with many loose cannons and critical friends “being seen but not heard”. Other than …

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Round-up of press reaction to DUP conference #dup14

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So what did the Monday papers think of the DUP’s weekend conference in La Mon? In an Irish Times opinion piece under the headline of “DUP leader’s subtle message of co-operation to end gridlock” Gerry Moriarty pulled out Peter Robinson’s statement – buried in his speech – about the need for the DUP and Sinn Fein to do business together. There is still a bitter rump in the party that hates hearing that line but Robinson realised that, in the …

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Noisy DUP conference focuses on election and a one-sided understanding of respect and tolerance #dup14

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The DUP were in election mode at their annual conference this year. Gone was any outreach to soft unionist voters. Faced with a first-past-the-post election in May 2015, the DUP reverted to core values for core voters. Attendance in the main hall of La Mon Hotel for Peter Robinson’s address was a little down on the previous couple of years: the seats were all taken but there were fewer people standing at the back. New members I’d noticed a few …

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Peter Robinson: in 50 years’ time the votes of the culturally Irish will help ensure union remains safe

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Peter Robinson light-heartedly suggested that DUP’s first ever spring policy conference today in Fermanagh “means that the G8 Summit has now been demoted to the second most important event in Fermanagh this year!” The full speech is available from the DUP website. The DUP leader reassured delegates that Nigel Dodds “will be back at work on Monday and happily he’s been given a clean bill of health”. He hoped that the health scare would “bring about a greater understanding of …

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Know your members: the DUP launches a significant membership survey (proposed & run by university researchers)

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DUP 2012 membership survey front page

Update: A few clarifications from the DUP: “the researchers approached us and it is a funded research programme to costs party nothing”. The funding is from the Leverhulme Trust. The questions were drafted by the researchers around a year ago, building on previous work with the Orange Order. – – – Membership survey forms were being handed out to members at the DUP conference as the party works with three English universities to slice and dice and understand the make-up …

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DUP conference: dogmas, Mexican bandits, turkeys, opposition, outreach #dup12

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The DUP is undeniably changing. Ten years ago who would have thought that purveyors of the trade organisation representing sellers of the devil’s buttermilk – Pubs of Ulster – would be sponsoring a drinks reception at the DUP conference? Who would have predicted that a Irish government minister would be welcomed to the DUP conference and that delegates would speak highly of his understanding of the minutiae of CAP reform? Could you imagine a Conservative Secretary of State being willing …

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Party conferences dates, venues and a thought for exhibitors who want to wrestle control back from the parties

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UUP gavel

A quick post to remind political conference followers about the start of the conference season. UUP are tempting metaphors and analogies with their conference on 21 (members only) and 22 (public sessions) September in Titan Belfast. Last year Secretary of State Owen Paterson popped into the conference and said a few words on his way past; Mike Nesbitt gave a Cameron-style speech on the economy without notes challenging the party to: … become net contributors to Her Majesty’s Treasury. We …

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Sinn Fein are the tomorrow people and the yesterday people.

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Most of the excitement regarding the DUP conference centred on Peter Robinson’s speech (or Sammy Wilson’s). In contrast Nigel Dodds’s has received less attention. The moving forward narrative was again played up with the repeated claim that the DUP are the party of Northern Ireland and the party to move Northern Ireland forward. There were swipes at the UUP and TUV as well as nationalists and republicans. Dodds’s moving forward was couched in somewhat more traditional unionist terms. His remarks …

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Sammy Wilson’s #dupconf routine – complete with doubtful gags about SF’s Long Creche

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Sammy Wilson’s speech was billed as ‘finance’, but was in reality his usual mid-afternoon comic turn to pick up the spirits of the delegates who were still in the hall. You can hear the full 20 minute routine over on Audioboo (mp3 download). In one section about 5 minutes in, he was commenting on the recent Sinn Fein Ard Fheis in Belfast’s Waterfront Hall. He referred to the crèche – labelled by Sinn Fein (rather than Sammy) as ‘Long Crèche’ …

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Peter Robinson: “If we want a better society it can’t be ‘them and us’.”

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Wordle of Peter Robinson's party conference speech

Here’s the full text of Peter Robinson below. Few impressions are it was long, but I suspect that’s because he wanted to take his time to talk to his party and his base, before making the key pitch to the rest of us, which is we back a shared future, not the equal but opposite version so obvious in the must derided and criticised Cohesion, Sharing and Integration document… For those awake at the time, this was a senior theme …

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