"No backroom deals"
I'm just back from the Europa hotel where I was helping out on our coverage of the Ulster Unionist conference. Inevitably there was less of a buzz about the gathering than last year's event when David Cameron turned up as the special guest. But the turnout appeared high with many left standing at the back, and William Hague's speech went down well.
Sir Reg Empey used his speech to set out his stall on devolving policing and justice. He didn't offer any criticism of Gordon Brown's financial package, which Mr Cameron has already endorsed. Instead he concentrated his fire on the arrangements which look certain to give the job to the Alliance party and the subsequent "sunset clause". He challenged Peter Robinson to open talks on justice, pledging that there should be "no backroom deals".
It's uncertain if that means the UUP will let the transfer process move forwards, whilst sniping at the cross community arrangements, or could open talks lead to a further delay? Certainly Owen Paterson seems to want the transfer to proceed as soon as possible, although he clarified that he also wants the Stormont coalition parties to agree on the details.
Whilst William Hague turned up, the UUP's only MP Lady Sylvia Hermon again stayed away. Her absence, whilst not surprising, pointed to the unresolved questions about the future of the UUP-Tory Force. Sir Reg is confident they will make gains in next year's Westminster election, but it's not even guaranteed that they will be able to hold on to their one remaining seat in the Commons.
Michael McGimpsey kept all his options open when we asked if he would stand in South Belfast - his dillemma may be whether it's credible not just to say you will give up your MLA job if elected, but to fight the campaign whilst holding on to either an MLA or ministerial portfolio. That said, signs that the DUP might sanction more double jobbing than they previously indicated would lessen the pressure on the Health Minister on this score.
Mr McGimpsey quoted Nye Bevan when praising the NHS. When I pointed out that this was a very Labourite source of inspiration he pronounced himself happy with David Cameron's approach on health. Michael's brother Chris makes less of a secret of his left wing sympathies, and again fired a warning shot across Sir Reg's bows by putting his name to a letter claiming the UUP has handed over control of its new movement to the Conservatives.
Certainly there are enough tensions at constituency level to make the continuing saga of candidate selection extremely interesting.
Having returned for the conference, next week I'm away on my half term break proper. Martina Purdy and Gareth Gordon will take up the reins on "Inside Politics" and (unless Martina judges that events warrant a blog or two in the next few days) I shall be back here in just over a week's time.
I'm 
© MMIX~RS~q~RS~~RS~z~RS~13~RS~)
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Mark.
Going on holiday,(what are your conditions?) Are you allowed holidays? A day at the Bangor Marino when packages are cheap,no children! Good
value!Anything to avoid being a "moderator".
Enjoy your week.
Hear from you in November.
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Mark,
I am sure there are times when you get a sore head listening to the same thing day in and day out from the parties. I am sure it is the usual childish antics and not rows over who is fixing the education system and fighting for more money!!
Enjoy your break.
Stormontspy
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History in this country has a habit of repeating itself. Why is it that Unionism allows itself to be trodden apon by successive Tory government's who have no interest in Irish politics what so ever? If the Tory party get elected, it could set off a spark within Republicanism, just like in the late sixties. This would be a dire turnaround and God help us all.
If the link up between these two Unionist party's succeeds the new British Government (if Tory) will have to be bi-partisan and not take a one sided approach as this would go against the grain of the Good Friday agreement and equality legislation.
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DigustedinlondonDerry
What's your problem ?
Your narrow rants from the 1960's should inform you that
history has moved on !!! Do you not agree ???
A "post name" of "Disgusted etc etc" says it all.
Your position of DFM helper,cannot disguise your aims.
Just involve in the debates !
Post a comment,wanting responses and respond.
No point a hand grenade from your 20c bunker ???
Digusted will respond??? Don't bet on it !!!
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I was at the conference on Saturday, it was my first time attending such an event and I left both excited and a bit let down. Excited because I got to see politics in action, however, I was a bit let down by the way the speakers seem to only want to bash DUP or Sinn Fein.
There were a few positives, they seemed to want to lead and achieve compromise but could these only be promises?? Who knows, people have the same problem in England with the tories. I believe that the whole of politics in Northern Ireland is lagging behind the rest of the UK and Europe, this isn't the fault of the players, more the game. The debate in the confernce about dealing with the past left me with dread, the views were one dimensional though this was to be expected. This issue will be one to decide our future in Northern Ireland and everybody has a role to play; politicians, teachers, churchs, local communities and each and every one of us.
Sir Reg talked about no "backroom deals", where does this leave the UUP then? Surely the backroom is where all the deals are done, surely the agreements of 1998 and 2005 where done behind closed doors? Policing and justice are seen as the final jigsaw piece in the post-1998 Northern Ireland, however, with the rise of dissidents and the parties not talking to each other at the best of times where does that leave the people of Northern Ireland.
Leadership is what is missing in Northern Ireland; Hume is gone, Trimble is gone and even the Big Man himself is now gone Paisley (And I am no fan). We are now at what O'Neill would of called the "crossroads". Yes we have achieved the progress of moving from violence (though the elements of violence still exist and plague us) we haven't achieved the greater goal of moving into a peaceful society (if this is even achievable). The question is now, Where do we want to go from here?
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Is this blog a letters page of a news paper? No it is not!
The whole idea of a blog is for the Editor/Moderator to post an opinion and for his/her blogers to give their opinion in their own words.
If my fellow blogers don't like what I write, dont read what I write.
I don't think that what I write can be misconstrued as a rant, although the replys I receive from a certian callow bloger, in my opinion, manifest a rant. Again if this jejune bloger doesn't appreciate my point of veiw, it's quite simple, just ignore it!!
As for a question of do I think history has moved on? I think history has moved on but has a long way to go before people of an opinion such as my own can have the respect of others who are stuck in the past!! We all have to live here, we all have to respect each others opinions ie. I say Derry, you say Londonderry!!
As for the disguise in my aims I would like a certain bloger to expand on this and explain???
Thanks Mark...
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Mark,
I am sure you are glad you are away from the office at the minute. On Saturday Reg Empey said that an Alliance Justice Minister would be a "puppet".
David Ford responded by saying "Alliance made it clear over a year ago that there was no possibility of an Alliance Minister unless they had full Ministerial duties and responsibilities."
David went on to say "The UUP leader has talked a lot about finding agreement between the parties on justice issues. It is therefore a great pity that he has not responded to a letter I sent him two months ago seeking talks between our parties on the policies to be implemented if justice is devolved."
I can't wait to see what Reg's reply is. It is poor on him that he can't reply to a letter.
Away from that the spat between Jim Allister and the DUP goes on. The DUP in particular Jeffrey Donaldson said - "His credibility on this issue has been completely shot to bits. Having cried wolf at every stage in the process TUV has been shown to be peddling downright falsehoods. TUV has been exposed as visionless, directionless and unscrupulous. People can see right through them."
Now Jim has turned his attention to Peter and the announcement that the DUP will continue double jobbing. Jim states that before the European Election Peter went on record to say "It is simply not possible to sustain and fully perform multiple roles whether they involve other elected positions or indeed interests outside Parliament…The workload is too great and there are not enough hours in the day to do multiple jobs".
It appears that Peter has a u-turn. Not surprisingly Jim thinks "It seems that the pledge to end double jobbing can be added to a long list of broken promises".
The joys of local politics....
Stormontspy
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I have noted no comments today from a certian bloger, is the dummy out of the pram and onto the floor???
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Mark, Mark, Mark etc,
Any chance of a reality check here? The only person blogging on this blog is Mark Davenport. Everyone else is writing comments about or as is often the case not about what Davenport has blogged. You are not bloggers, sorry, if you started your own blogs you would be.
It is a little sad that the wannabe 'Mark Jr.' poster is trying to write 'blog entry' type comments. Actually it's a lot sad.
Too many of the regulars (the three big blogjackers) are pointlessly posting two, three and even more comments for each of Davenport's blog entries, very often not in reply to anyone. Double posting is the real world conversation equivalent of tugging on someones sleeve while talking at them, three posts in a row is like tugging on someones sleeve and breathing booze breath into their face, while you talk at them. Not appreciated.
D'inDerry / LimavadyLad your comments have been an unexpected change from what was becoming an utterly banal, barrage of spam posting. Be careful what you wish for re replies to your comments tho.
This blog is read by hundreds of people, many of whom have more to say on the subjects raised than 'Mark, look at me'. How many are being turned off by the cliquishness and all that 'Fascist Coalition' twaddle? At one point 'Mark Jr.' called Sinn Fein a 'Fascist Coalition', a one party coalition? nice trick.
Davenport is away to get his head showered and get a break from the facial twitch that his 'blogstalkers' have given him. Who can blame him?
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ULSTER92 WALES30
No its not a rugby score its the number of press officers employed
in each Assembly perhaps posters will take an intrest on a real
issue rather than navel guasing, the difference in cash is 2M pounds
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Does the Ulster assembly cover Cavan, Monaghan and Donegal? Maybe you mean the N.Ireland Assembly???
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It sounds increasingly likely to me that Sylia Hermon will go independent at the next election. So that would make it her, a UUP candidate ( as they have to field everywhere ), Ian Parsley and possibly a DUP candidate. That sounds like quite a choice for the north Down unionists!
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The more I read about the Tory party, the more interesting the debate about the link up intrigues me. The SNP leader tells us that the Tory's are an English party with few representatives outside that country.
Both party's, the Tory's and the UUP, are hungry to lead and will jump in bed together to achieve this, like harlot's in the dark of night, with no thought to the damage it will cause others. Take Sylvia Hermon- the only UUP MP. How can another split in the Unionist vote be of any good to any party but Sinn Fein?
As for the SNP in this equation, they are rubbing their hand's in the hope that the Tory's in Scotland gain on the Scotish Labour party to futher strengthen the referendum on Scotish independence. I predict a need for a new Union flag without the saltire of Saint Andrew, leaving the saltire of Saint George and the historically incorrect saltire of Saint Patrick. Time will tell!
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Who cares what the UUP get up to they are consigned to the bin bag of history
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There really is such rubbish written about the Tories - they are the only party with elected reps in all 4 home nations of the UK. While they may be somewhat less strong in Scotland (a fairly recent phenomenon that will no doubt recover), they topped the poll in Wales at the European Parliament elections and came second in NI.
Opposition parties in the 3 nations other than England often try and paint the Tories as English but the honest reality is that they have members in every devolved nation and that their candidates and elected reps in those nations are, the vast majority, local folk. Even in England their opponents try and paint them as only from the South but the truth is that they control almost every county council in the North of England.
So don't believe Labour, SNP, DUP and other eejits when considering the Tories - look at the reality!
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The reality of the Tories in Ireland is a brutal, anti Irish one and that is what people should look at when considering the Tories. They have no elected representatives in N.Ireland and have only dreamed up the UUP link to steal power from Labour. Wake up and take a proper look at reality. If we have a hung Parliment they will appease the DUP like they have done with Unionism for two Centuries, this is not good for N.Ireland and not good for the next generation of people on these Islands. As I said before, history in this country has a habit of repeating itself!!
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Disgusted,
First up Jim Nicholson is an MEP from NI taking the Conservative whip (and having been elected explicitly on that basis) so yes they do have representation here.
Secondly they'll comfortably win the general election without seats from NI. This points out to the observant that they are taking a massive, electorally unnecessary, risk getting seriously involved here. Consequently it is reasonable to assume that it must be because they actually do want NI treated as part of the country they seek to govern rather than a "problem" to be dealt with.
As an Irishman myself I cannot say that history teaches me that the Tories are "brutal, anti-Irish". Furthermore even though they have undoubtedly made mistakes in the past (as has everybody) the reality is that parties are constantly changing as people come and go. The days even of Thatcher are ancient history now as all the folk in power then are long long gone - new faces, new policies, new party: they have moved on why don't you?
So all in all if you want a NI to be prosperous and peaceful corner of the UK they look like the only game in town to me. And if you want it to be a peaceful prosperous corner of a united ireland then they are still the best to vote for because the only thing that will change that is a "border poll" and in the meantime you presumably want the other two parts... So I reckon they've won my vote!
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This comment has been referred to the moderators. Explain.
I see my comment was removed- no email to explain, is that not how it's done? I read the house rules which tell me that an email of explanation will follow the removal of a comment??? No email as yet???
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