UUP – Page 17 – Slugger O'Toole

Team Jasil – that’s John and Basil – say: “Get off your backsides and vote for people that are trying to make a difference”

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on May 12, 2013, 9:00 am

| Readers 104

Basil McCrea and John McCallister were the invited guest speakers at a Friday lunchtime Politics and Change in Northern Ireland seminar run by the Institute for Research in Social Sciences at UUJ. The room was mostly full of academics and postgraduate researchers. It was an opportunity to hear John and Basil deliver what might become their stump speech, laying out the vision and principles of their new “political vehicle”. Their fledgling two seater party has been sounding out support and …

“it is important that other schemes that may be in a position to be progressed ahead of the A5 are given full consideration by the Executive”

Pete Baker on April 15, 2013, 5:35 pm

| Readers 48

As the BBC report, the Northern Ireland Regional Development Minister, the UUP’s Danny Kennedy, has announced that his department will not be appealing the Belfast High Court ruling quashing the decision to go ahead with the controversial A5 £330m dual carriageway project. A “costly mistake [not appealing] but will not be the end of this project“, according to the “Sinn Féin MLA for West Tyrone and member of the Regional Development Minister [sic], Declan McAleer”. The chair of the NI Assembly’s Regional Development Committee, the …

Mike Nesbitt vacillating on policy and unionist co-operation over the last twelve months

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on February 26, 2013, 10:30 am

| Readers 179

Modern politicians must sometimes read biographies of past politicians and long to have lived and worked in a world where only major speeches were reported and their every word wasn’t recorded, indexed and placed in the public filing cabinet that is the internet. Here’s a selection of what UUP Mike Nesbitt has been saying about policies and unionist co-operation over the last twelve months. 15 March 2012 – Over the weekend I was reminded that Mike Nesbitt launched his UUP …

The shrinking heart of the UUP: A lucky 13?

Mick Fealty on February 20, 2013, 1:08 pm

| Readers 125

So, there’s a lot of people looking at the crisis in the UUP and coming to a conclusion they hope is true. In fact Mike Nesbitt put in decent performance on Spotlight last night, but I think Emmett Doyle is not far from the truth when writes: The Party need to come up with some answers, and fast. With respect to the other MLA’s currently in the Assembly, I would dare say the man and woman on the street would …

Basil McCrea finally throws in the towel … from where can UUP find hope?

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on February 15, 2013, 10:33 amComments Off | Readers 525

Two months ago on 15 December, UUP leader uttered the following phrase on Evening Extra: If we have to shrink to grow, we will After John McCallister’s resignation last night, Basil McCrea has followed this morning, burning his bridges on the Nolan show. listen to ‘Basil McCrea reveals he is quitting the UUP. ’ on Audioboo Which means that the Opposition back corner in the Assembly chamber is expanding. listen to ‘Eamonn Maillie & Alex Kane comment on the news …

Home Rule, Rome Rule and Gay Marriage

Gerry Lynch on February 7, 2013, 12:58 pm

| Readers 106

Last September, Unionists paraded in their tens of thousands through Belfast to celebrate the centenary of the Ulster Covenant. From the days of Lilibullero in the 17th Century, Ulster Protestantism has always had a particular genius for summing up its political causes in easily remembered ditties and catchphrases. Perhaps the easiest slogan to remember of all from that era is “Home Rule is Rome Rule”. That encapsulated the fears that Irish self-government would inevitably lead to a clericalised, priest-ridden state. …

“a 65% to 17% majority for Northern Ireland remaining in the UK suggests little room for doubt.”

Pete Baker on February 5, 2013, 11:49 pm

| Readers 2299

From the conversation on BBC NI Spotlight tonight there are challenges for all the political parties in the results of the polling by Ipsos Mori. But here are the reported results on the constitutional question. Not surprisingly, more than 90% of those who identify themselves as Protestants told the pollsters they wanted to stay in the UK. But on the other side of the religious divide, a substantial 38% of Catholics also favoured remaining within the UK – three percentage …

Will unionism’s long 2012 be seen as the year when the wave broke?

John Ó Néill on February 1, 2013, 10:37 am

| Readers 87

With the #flegs protests seemingly diminishing, it seems like a good time to wrap up where 2012 has brought unionism, although it can be pretty much summed up in one word – crisis. It was a year in which there were early signs of modest progress visible to DUP leader Peter Robinson in March and by November he felt confident to proclaim that the constitutional debate had been won. And remember, in 2012 we were told repeatedly how ‘Catholics’ were being taken within, and reciprocating, the embrace of unionist outreach. Looking past the rhetoric, …

Nesbitt concedes unity in a seat that no unionist can realistically win?

Mick Fealty on January 30, 2013, 9:42 am

| Readers 77

So, according to the News Letter, Mike Nesbitt didn’t ask his constituency party in Mid Ulster whether they wanted a Unionist unity candidate, or not. He may not have done much of the longer term math either, or calculated that the principle he’s ceding here is that his party no longer has any designs on have representation at Westminster. As Sam McBride notes, unity candidate or not, this is a nationalist seat in waiting: If the three unionist parties’ votes …

Basil McCrea: we are increasingly looking at a policing response that does more than just contain the situation

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on January 17, 2013, 9:03 pm

| Readers 60

Lagan Valley MLA Basil McCrea was interviewed on his local community radio station Lisburn’s 98FM today. Presenters of the weekly On The Record politics show – David McCann and Kerri Dunn – quizzed the whip-less politician about his previous statements on flag, the state of his party and his political future. listen to ‘Lagan Valley MLA @BasilMcCrea speaking to @dmcbfs & @KerriDunn on @lisburns98 radio’ on Audioboo You can listen to the entire 23 minute interview – with permission from …

Cartoon: #flegs #legs #begs

Brian Spencer on January 15, 2013, 11:11 pm

| Readers 61

Your captions please! Brian SpencerBrian is a writer, artist, political cartoonist and legal blogger. Actively tweeting from @brianjohnspencr. More information here: http://www.brianjohnspencer.com/ www.brianjohnspencer.com/

“If you set so much store by symbols then don’t be surprised if…”

Pete Baker on January 15, 2013, 4:04 pm

| Readers 70

In the News Letter, Alex Kane has some sensible advice for the recently convened unionist forum. From the News Letter article So can we stop falling over ourselves in a headlong rush to jump into every elephant trap set for us by Sinn Fein and Gerry Adams’ continuous loop guff about the inevitability of unification? If you set so much store by symbols then don’t be surprised if Sinn Fein keeps gnawing away at the symbols. I don’t need a …

Leadership That’s Working?

Gerry Lynch on January 12, 2013, 2:01 am

| Readers 140

48, 48, and 48 – those are the nightmare numbers for Unionism. Not necessarily for the Union, but for Unionism the political ideology as we have understood it for the past century or so. In the 2011 Assembly election, only 48% of the population voted for Unionist candidates, interpreting that term as generously as possible. In the 2011 Census, only 48% of the population were classifiable as ‘Protestant’ by community background, even given the statisticians’ remit of allocating the non-religious …

On the lack of unionist leadership – what would Paisley in his prime made of it?

Brian Walker on January 8, 2013, 12:20 pm

| Readers 73

As Paul Bew has pointed out in the Times(£), with the NIO a rump and now lacking historic memory in depth, there’s not much Theresa Villiers can do to affect the flags disturbances directly, with day to-day responsibility for law and order devolved to Stormont. Unless that is, the protests gain wider political traction as a result of Willie Frazer’s exercise in protest tourism and other spasms. This seems unlikely as the “People’s Forum “ seems as rickety as the unionist …

Basil McCrea: “I have stayed with the party through thick and thin, and I will continue do so …”

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on January 4, 2013, 9:49 pm

| Readers 155

A long-standing family committment meant that Basil McCrea was unavailable for today’s scheduled UUP disciplinary hearing. But while his party have been relatively quiet over the past 24-48 hours as flag protests have resurged, the Lagan Valley MLA has issued a statement tonight. When I joined the UUP in late 2004 some were surprised by my decision. I had no particular ties to the party, no political connections at all in fact and the UUP were a party under pressure. …

That Mayan issue…

Brian Spencer on December 22, 2012, 12:52 pm

| Readers 50

So there we had it: the world didn’t end for us all yesterday. But is there still a figure looming large? Brian SpencerBrian is a writer, artist, political cartoonist and legal blogger. Actively tweeting from @brianjohnspencr. More information here: http://www.brianjohnspencer.com/ www.brianjohnspencer.com/

The modest case for the Assembly in 2013

Brian Walker on December 19, 2012, 11:54 pm

| Readers 51

Later.. I’ve now made it to 20 points by adding a couple on managing the economy ( how could I have left them out?). These create a dialogue with Mick, although not quite along the same lines. Working with the available material and far away from Nirvana. To adapt Mario Cuomo, you rebel in poetry but govern in prose. 1. Might it just be that the fact of power sharing has helped create more flexible identities? 2. A near 20% fall in …

Caption Competition

Brian Spencer on December 18, 2012, 2:37 pm

| Readers 60

Things seem to have fallen a little silent on the Nesbitt front but let’s not let sleeping dogs lie! Brian SpencerBrian is a writer, artist, political cartoonist and legal blogger. Actively tweeting from @brianjohnspencr. More information here: http://www.brianjohnspencer.com/ www.brianjohnspencer.com/

Saturn Devouring His Son

Brian Spencer on December 14, 2012, 10:03 pm

| Readers 67

Full acknowledgements to Francisco Goya. Brian SpencerBrian is a writer, artist, political cartoonist and legal blogger. Actively tweeting from @brianjohnspencr. More information here: http://www.brianjohnspencer.com/ www.brianjohnspencer.com/

Our Time? Our Place?

Brian Spencer on December 13, 2012, 4:07 pm

| Readers 43

Your captions are welcomed. Brian SpencerBrian is a writer, artist, political cartoonist and legal blogger. Actively tweeting from @brianjohnspencr. More information here: http://www.brianjohnspencer.com/ www.brianjohnspencer.com/