Jim's Deal
With speculation around that tonight's DUP executive meeting could be a stepping stone towards a resolution of the Stormont stand off, Jim Allister has published his sceptical best guess at what a deal might contain. He is predicting academic selection at 14, a Maze conflict resolution centre (something Bairbre de Brún referred to in a recent speech, a date for a date on devolving justice and an Irish language "strategy" rather than an act.
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Sounds fair enough.
Jim Allister should get a job as mediator. He has come up with some eminently sensible proposals to break the deadlock.
The only one I'm not sure about is 'a date for a date.' Is that a bit like talks about talks?
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Mark.
Jim's Deal?
What deal? He has never predicted an alternative. This in fact is the same person who signed p for mandatory coalition. The only time I will listen to anything he says is when he produces his expenses.
Stormontspy
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Stormontspy
So who do you listen to other than the bunker boys in Dundela? Are you actually one of them burried deep underground so that when the fudge is announced you think you and other DUPERs can escape damage?
Tell me Allister is wrong about the predicted deal.
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RJ
ALLISTER'S GOOD POINTS BADLY MADE
You're right. This important "best guess" Press Release was all over the place.
Allister could have delivered his message much more effectively had he eschewed narrative and set out his argument in a series of bullet points. That would have made it much clearer that the DUP is couping again in the face of Sinn Fein's insatiable appetite "to gorge [again] on Unionists concessions."
One redeeming aspect was Allister's assertion that when the education issue is finally fudged that the cretinous Mervyn Storey will go down the tubes.
Mervyn really is a hateful pain in the arse.
Susie
Carryduff
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Redflyfisher
I am not like you. I am more than able to make up my own mind. You are easily led by a man who wants Northern Ireland knocked back 30 years. I do not swear any alliance to any political party. What I do swear alliance to is law and order, honesty, respect and transparency.
As far as I can see Jim Allister is a glorified attention seeker. Remember back in 2004 when he flew to America with "Devolution Now" under his arm. What was that all about? How quickly he has forgotten this?
How would you rate Jim Allisters performance on Thursday night on Hearts and Minds? His performance was woeful. He looked like man out of control. His body language was terrible. One shoulder up, one shoulder down, rocking about up and down from side to side and to point his finger at McCausland just shows how out of his depth Allister really is. McCausland on the other hand just sat smiling at him when he was ranting at length. It is a wonder the BBC didn't supply Allister with a hammock for him to rock about on!! My guess would be that anyone can take on and beat Allister out of sight. Even Margaret Ritchie could. What about when he was extremely shifty when pressed on his past manifesto endorsing the “evil” mandatory coalition? His inane laughing was a feeble attempt to try to make it a non-issue. And when it came to the crunch he could not talk his way out of a picture with him standing with a manifesto and the title reading "Devolution Now". It was laughable to hear Jim say that he came back to politics to keep Sinn Fein out of Government. Clearly a job well done then eh?
Stormontspy
PS I think Robinson and Adams will be the best of friends before we see Jim Allister's expenses.
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Stormontspy,
You claim "I do swear alliance to is law and order, honesty, respect and transparency." So that counts you out from being a supporter of Sinn Fein, DUP, UUP, Alliance and the SDLP based on the standard interpretations of the words.
Let's take education for example - please point to the transparency of each parties last manifesto document and their current policy on academic selection, the 11-plus and admission arrangements for schools. They have all shifted. The politicans are dictated to by the "educational establishment and vested interests " and the movement of the strings is so obvious it's like watching a Gerry Anderson show from the sixties. Parents and the electorate have been excluded on education matters since Martin McGuinness received the answer he neither expected nor could afford to repeat back in 2001.
Allister has at least put down a marker. Remember the rules Spy play the ball not the man.
You hardly want me to start on the "Never, Never, Never" line - Do you?
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StormontSpy,
Having just watched the M&M programme you referred me to I can only be astounded by your analysis. Suffice to say I voted DUP in the last election in order to give them a chance to match their loud words with strong action. The mandatory coalition has failed as have the DUP leadership. So there are a few grammar heads supporting the DUP according to McCauseland. I suspect they have been doing Sammy and Mervyn's homework for them but will shift to election at 14 (the Sinn Fein position) when told to do so.
It seems that the tail is wagging the dog.
Allister was consistent and coherent despite the worst (or best) efforts of McCauseland to tie him to a worthless bit of paper.
The electorate will judge the DUP according to the St Andrew's Agreement - it doesn't look good for them right now. Even NT ridiculed McCauseland on the education chaos he attempted to pass off as a DUP success.
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Ulster's place within the union is secure, the IRA has been defeated, and we have government in place behind Carson's statue.
Implementing everything in Jim Allister's you-hardly-need-to-be-nostradamus list will not change those facts.
What it will do is send a clear message to Irish people living here that they are equal members of Northern Ireland society, and that their identity and culture are valid.
There is nothing wrong with being Irish and living in Northern Ireland.
The sooner Unionists of all shades realise that, the happier Irish people will be living here, and the further a united Ireland gets pushed off the agenda.
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well said. lets get a party that agrees with those sentiments
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