Parties

The BBC’s literary political editor, Mark Devenport, indulges in some “idle discourse”, although we feel obliged to point out that his chosen literary analogy has been used before *ahem*.. He, perhaps, should have included Bertie Ahern’s recent statement too – “I think the DUP’s position is they’re unlikely to make any pronouncement until they see what unfolds. That’s a sensible position in the circumstances.” – and we would remind everyone that Vladimir and Estragon wait.. and wait.. and wait.. Pete …

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The Irish Times’ Northern editor, Gerry Moriarty, was at Reg Empey’s official launch of his candidacy last night at the Holiday Inn in Belfast (see comments), and noted that he had quite a crowd assembled.. although the UUP’s only MP was noticeable by her absence. Empey is also reported as saying that, if he becomes leader, the UUP would be unlikely to return to a power-sharing executive until Autumn 2007[subs req].. at the earliest.The noticeable absentee.. The party’s only MP, …

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TIM Collins has ruled himself out of standing for the UUP leadership, after Lord Kilclooney suggested he would support an outsider of Collins’ stature on Talkback. A new career in the media beckons the ex-soldier, methinks. Kilclooney has also ruled himself out – but he seems unnerved by the prospect of the UUP being led by someone associated with the failures of the past. And that includes all the current candidates.ADDS: I made a slight correction there after checking something. …

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Chris Thornton notes that the absence of Orange delegates to the Ulster Unionist Council for the first time in its 100 year history, will make for a supremely unpredictable leadership contest. They normally account for 120 delegates. One spin on this is that it will strengthen the hand of the liberal candidates. So will we see the first non Orange leader of the UUs? Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the …

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A sudden flurry of activity within the elderly senior ranks of the UUP. We asked – Who else is there? The answer came today. David McNarry officially joins the race for leadership of the UUP, Ken Maginnis is hanging in there hoping for a younger candidate with more experience *ahem* .. John Taylor, AKA Lord Kilcloney has offered himself up as interim leader (until when?).. and Reg Empey is, still, to officially declare.. but he is expected to do so …

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WOW! Not only has Sinn Fein’s Michael Ferguson a new-found faith in the courts (though one suspects it’s only to dampen further speculation), but Gerry Adams has appealed to witnesses to a fatal road accident in west Belfast involving a police Land Rover to help Northern Ireland’s Police Ombudsman establish what exactly happened (though one suspects that had the death not involved the PSNI, he might have waited for another opportunity).Baby steps. And this ISN’T another McCartney thread – as …

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The BBC’s Gareth Gordon has an update on, what could be described as, the pushing contest for the leadership of the UUP – pushing candidates forward that is. The report focuses on the, apparently, reluctant leader-in-waiting Reg Empey.. there is a mention of a press conference to be held next week.. but the quotes that appear – such as the one I’ve used for the title of the thread – from anonymous party sources, hint at the extent of the …

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Courtesy of the excellent Newshound. In The Irish News William Graham reports that “The Alliance Party has set out a series of bench-marks against which it believes the British and Irish governments and other parties should assess any future IRA[et al] statement.”Alliance Party leader David Ford “said that throughout the peace process, too much attention has fallen on decommissioning at the expense of a full debate on what was required of republicans and loyalists.” – The Alliance Party suggests the …

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Aw hell pete, I just decided to go and write a whole load of other stuff about the DUP. Well, you were the only one to reply to the essay(!)Hmmm… I think the DUP have watched SF and adopted similar tactics. Certainly the PUP did. But to little effect, as they have few political resources. Very interesting all the same. But – like SF – there are competing factions in the DUP. And the non-secular wing is probably in the …

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THE DUP’s outreach initiative continues with an offer to exchange views with all-Ireland Catholic Primate Sean Brady. The party is clearly on a charm offensive – an oxymoron that I feel suits Paisleyites well – but it may be how the party reacts to the usual summer violence that will really shift outside perceptions of hardline unionism before the next (yawn) round of talks.The BBC reported: The East Londonderry MP said he hoped a meeting with Archbishop Brady would bring …

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John D Taylor (aka Lord Kilclooney) has warned his party that any new leader must concentrate on turning round the party’s finances and preparing itself for a bruising contest with the DUP should an Assembly election be called in the wake of a new comprehensive deal. …time is short for the UUP to respond to its present vacuum. If we waste time and simply drift as before than I fear that at least half of our MLAs will lose their …

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The DUP’s Peter Robinson adopts the Corporal Nobbs approach to party politics and kicks the UUP when they’re down – “Why would I concern myself with whether the Ulster Unionist Party take a reject from the Westminster election or somebody who is so unelectable that they were appointed to the House of Lords?”.. Hmm.. How is that campaign for the first DUP peer coming along anyway? Pete Baker

As Mick noted yesterday, Sinn Féin were attempting to sell “part of a British MI5 bugging device” on eBay – coinciding with the publication of the IMC Report. Da Broom has a record of the item as listed with photos. As the Broom also noted later, eBay has now removed the item from their site. In response SF has re-started the auction at their own site and Mitchel McLaughlin has taken the time-worn route of accusing eBay of a “clumsy …

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Looks like Sinn Fein’s come up with a novel way of plugging the various funding gaps that have opened up in the wake of the Northern Bank robbery. They’re selling off (part of) the spying device they found at their headquarters on the Falls Road a while back. Interest has been brisk. It’s been on sale for only a short time and they’ve received 37 bids. Although at US $760.00 the reserve has not yet been met! Update: The Broom …

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The Belfast Telegraph has an interview with Sinn Fein’s personable Mayor of Derry Gearoid O’hEara. O’hEara lost his Shantallow seat to a junior when the local party clearly miscalcalulated the revival of the local SDLP and tried to manage the vote to take an extra seat in that ward. Interview by Geraldine Mulholland. Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is a regular …

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According to the Irish Times there are now four declared candidates in the ongoing contest for the UUP leadership?.. When did that happen? ANYway.. Ken Maginnis, quoted in the report, is throwing his hat into the ring – “I am up for the leadership. Let me be frank, if I could find somebody that was 20 years younger than I am, who had the same objectives, the same experience, then I would not be up for the leadership.”.. So, if …

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The ever excellent Newshound carries a Suzanne Breen look, from the Sunday Tribune, at the 9 newly elected DUP MPs in Red-necks and rabble-rousers. Or is the DUP human after all?The article has moments of humour as well as political assessments , for example when discussing Nigel Dodds: Nigel Dodds reckons new babies won votes for Mark Durkan and Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy. Wife Diane is warned that, if Sinn Féin threatens to snatch North Belfast next election, she …

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Steven King will have to revise those odds.. Sylvia Hermon has ruled herself out of the UUP leadership race. So, is Reg Empey now the favourite? Pete Baker

Steven King gives his odds for the various candidates for the next leader of the UUP. Unsurprisingly, Jeffrey Dondaldson (200-1) is the rank outsider – although double the odds of Basil McCrea (100-1) may be a slight exaggeration. While in contrast, perhaps, to the opinion of David Burnside (8-1), who “was seen as the hard Right’s choice in 1995 and.. would be seen as such in 2005”, Steven King’s favoured candidate is Sylvia Hermon (11-4), “Even if she were not …

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As the UUP try to figure out what comes next in the post-Trimble era, one of the potential candidates for the position of leader of the party, David Burnside, has publicly slated the only remaining UUP MP, Sylvia Hermon – “If the party wants to go off on some sort of softy, wishy-washy, liberal sort of route they’ll have a lot of other people who are still in the party stepping aside from it. We don’t need to go that …

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