BBC Blog Network

User Profile

7pillars

Listed below are comments made by 7pillars between Wednesday, 10th June 2009 and Friday, 2nd October 2009.

«Newer
Older»

Justice and the US Peace Dividend 11:24am on 02 Oct 2009 The DUP big guns are bailing out for London watch for the flow of other parties' senior members who follow. The Westminister election could look like the Assembly Executive in session with a few other MLA's thrown in.
The DUP is finished in the Assembly, riven by internal dissent it needs to get the Assembly suspended to regroup and reposition and wait for the TUV to fade away.
The UUP would lose much of its income and be totally reliant on its big brother for funding.
SF would have no political platform since it doesn't take Westminster seats.
The SDLP would decline into oblivion.
So from the DUP point of view a collapsed Assembly could be just what they need to consolidate and do down their enemies including the UUP. However if they tried to bring it back in future would they relish the propect of a stronger CU, who would benefit from having a Tory SOS and ministers in place and an even more beligerent SF.
The DUP may have passed their highpoint and like Labour be set for a period in the wilderness.
Interesting times for all parties but not the Assembly I fear
How not to deny a story 05:28am on 12 Sep 2009 It is probable that Ian Parsley will be the CU candidate in North Down if the UUP can't come up with a better candidate. Hermon will not be acceptable to the Conservative party even if she recanted her support for the Labour party. Empey just won't face the fact that he will have to select a candidate that will take the Conservative whip.

Hermon will therefore not run against Parsley he would take too many of her votes and she couldn't countenance losing her seat at an election. She will stand down and who knows the Lords may suddenly become more suitable to her talents or failing that Stormont.
On the wider front Parsley's defection spells out a very clear message that the Alliance party is broke and is going nowhere, whereas the Conservatives are gaining a real profile in Northern Ireland. If the UUP, who also have major cash flow problems, aren't careful they may find out that the Conservatives don't need them and will follow a longer term strategy on their own.
Not bovvered 10:21pm on 19 Aug 2009 I suspect he is mischief making between the UU and Tories, would the SSS confide in McGuinness his thoughts on his partners in the UUP?
From their public utterances neither party is entirely keen on the devolution of P&J until there is a stable Assembly and funding is guaranteed.
McGuinness needs to cause unrest in the UUP as the DUP are trying to use the UUP to block the devolution of P&J which they agreed to.
Simpson sickened 5:31pm on 18 Aug 2009 The point is although he has a reduced salary from the Assembly he still draws his full salary and expenses from Westminster and persumably as a councillor, unless he tells us differently.
The question is does he still draw a salary dividend or rental from his business interests and is he still involved in running them while being a full time MP and MLA and a councillor?
Sick of each other's spin? 10:46pm on 17 Aug 2009 The DUP have no control over anything that matters, they are running around like headless chickens looking for anything to attack the UUP/Conservative link up, even for them going back 60 years is a bit much.
It has dawned on them the voters want more than kicking Sinn Fein and they can't deliver it through Stormont, the Conservatives and Unionists can through Westminster.
The nutcracker of TUV and CU's that squeezed the DUP in the European election will cause much more anguish over the next months until the general election, so expect much more crying from the DUP as their influence slips away at Westminister.
The sounds of silence... 2:10pm on 17 Aug 2009 I suspect it is not Empey's doing it would indicate there may be unrest among a small minority of the UUP MLA's who see their future in the Assembly as being extremely limited if the party moves to the middle ground. No more orange tub thumping or trying to out DUP the DUP. They ( www.uup.org/uup-people/stormont/index.php ) particularly the older ones can see many of them would be replaced by younger more capable types from the UUP ranks, like current MLA's Tom Elliot and John McAllister, and maybe even some women or Catholics from the Conservative side.
Assuming they do exist:-
Who is the leader of the group?
Do they want to mount a challenge to our leadership of Empey and the officer team to protect their futures?
Do they want to attempt to get us out of the Westminister, and persumably then Stormont, Conservative deal that has been approved by the party's officiers and executive?
They would lead us into a cul de sac where funds will be very limited and electoral propects disastrous. So they, if they exist, should put up or shut up before they do any long term damage to the party when the clear evidence is there for all to see what division did to us in the past.
Cameron and Courtship 5:34pm on 30 Jul 2009 I see the UUP accounts have been published.

They raise some questions

1. Why is a valuation for a building at 2007 still used in 2008 and also at June 2009 when the accounts were signed off, when everyone knows the property market has collapsed.

2. Who is the very friendly partner in the new property development LLP company who pays £330,000 for 20% of a building, somewhat over the odds in todays market, and then allows the bank to have a charge over the building to secure the UUP loans?

3. With a fiscal breakeven and the level of loan repayments required where will they find the funds to fight an election?
£1,123 08:49am on 20 Jun 2009 The problem is that we actually need it here due the the mismanagement of the NI economy by the NIO of the last 30 odd years.
Decommissioning and Racist Intimidation 08:45am on 20 Jun 2009 Mark

You might ask him if money is going to the UDA under the cover of 'Community Groups' to help fund the UDA members salaries or retirements?
You're hired! 06:51am on 10 Jun 2009 Mark

It seems that you followed the DUP line during the election in preference to the UCU's and TUV's.

It was obvious in the last week to the people that were knocking doors that the TUV were going to do well and 60,000 votes was fairly certain and the majority of these were going to tranfer to the UCU. It was being openly discussed in both TUV and UCU camps that Nicholson would be the first unionist past the post, was the case that you did not listen or did you prefer to believe the DUP line? To the end they were still spinning that they were going to top the poll.

I think in common with your other colleagues in the media you need to connect with the other parties to let people know what is really happening on the ground and what people are really thinking since, as you have now found out, either the DUP deluded themselves, have no people on the ground any longer, or lied to you.

Not your best election performance as the appearance is now that you were in the DUP's PR pocket.

«Newer
Older»

^ Back to top

BBC MMVI

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites

BBC.co.uk

BBC Blog Network

Find and talk to the BBC's bloggers.

User Profile

7pillars