Remember 42 days?
The DUP saved Gordon Brown's skin and returned to Belfast in victorious mood. They deflected questions about the price they had set for their 9 votes. But they clearly believed their action would place them in an influential position, not least because the PM would require their support in the future as the 42 day measure promised to ping pong between the two Houses of Parliament.
Then Gordon Brown came to Stormont and, far from expressing his gratitude, he used his speech to rub the DUP's noses in Sinn Fein's line on the need for a date for devolving justice.
At a Labour conference fringe meeting, Jeffrey Donaldson sounded hurt about how the DUP had been treated.
At theTory conference, Mr Donaldson had to deal with Conservatives who retained vivid memories of Iris Robinson holding up 9 fingers to symbolise the votes which propped up the government.
Then last night, in these changing economic times, the Home Secretary let the 42 day measure drop after its resounding defeat in the House of Lords.
The DUP, of course, insist they voted on principle. Maybe they got some other assurance which they are still keeping in their back pocket. But if they had hoped to cash their cheque on this matter at a later date they may find that it has just bounced.
I'm 
~RS~q~RS~~RS~z~RS~17~RS~)
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A victory for common sense and human rights in Parliament yesterday and credit is due to those Northern Ireland peers who did the right thing and voted against the government's ridiculous proposals.
Over at Amnesty Blogs: Belfast and Beyond I give the official Hansard rundown of our local 'contents' and 'not contents' and ponder on those absent DUP peers: http://blogs.amnesty.org.uk/blogs_entry.asp?eid=2107
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Didn't seem to be much of a contribution from the DUP boys during the debate in the Commons following the Lords defeat of the "42Day " bill.
Of course as holders of more that one mandate they were probably all back in Belfast having meetings about not having Executive Meetings!!!
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The only way the DUP will now get money from the Government is to own a bank. Maybe if Stormont was like a big bank and had
1. Overpaid Executives
2. Large Assets
3. Risky debts
4. Boom and Bust Politics
5. No confidence from the public
Oh wait hold on a second. A cheque is in the post....
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Will the DUP's cheques bounce as high as Basil McCrea's is the real question?
Why no in depth coverage regarding the story behind Basil's "redundancies"?
How can an MLA getting over £70 000 per year not manage his finances effectively?
Is Basil not meant to be the UUP's champion of big business, not the best example to be setting is it?
Can the electorate have faith in a man who cannot effectively manage his finances? As a businessman, I have to generate income as well as pay my outgoings, all Basil had to do was spend...he seems to have done that part especially well.
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