Community Confusion?
Is the DUP contributing to community confidence in its latest utterances regarding the full time police reserve or just spreading confusion all around?
Peter Robinson released a lengthy statement early this morning which sought to clarify the party position. Boiled down this is that "community confidence" is the only precondition, but the fate of the reserve is a "key element" in that confidence. Jeffrey Donaldson indicated that he is not necessarily insisting that the reserve is retained as an entity but wants those officers keen on staying to be subsumed as uniformed members of the PSNI.
Whilst this option sounds like an attractive compromise so far as the DUP is concerned Matt Baggott appeared to rule it out during his interviews earlier this week.
The problem for the DUP is that their critics have been rubbing their hands in glee. The TUV leader Jim Allister claims the different DUP statements show the party to be in complete disarray. Maybe because the job prospects of 300 flesh and blood reservists is more tangible than the finances of future court cases and other aspects of policing and justice, the danger will be that this controversy overshadows the apparently generous Gordon Brown budget offer.
No matter what happens in the weeks ahead, the last few days have already left an impression of ambiguity and clever word play which doesn't tend to go down well with the public.
I'm 
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Mark,
What is the odds that with the DUP put pressure on Jeffrey to quit or Jeffrey becomes the first big name to join the TUV?
Stormontspy
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This is all starting to resemble the UUP at the start of the decade isn't it?! Contrary messages and frantic attempts to cover up what are not as much cracks as yawning chasms!
I've no time for Allister but I am enjoying the sight of the DUP being subjected to the same treatment it deployed for years to thwart any attempt at compromise, pass the popcorn!
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Mark
CORRUPT, DECEITFUL, LAME DUCK, MORONIC, OIKISH, RETARDED
Any or all of these adjectives would hardly describe the actions of the DUP/Sinn Fein Fascist Coalition.
Following DUP/Donaldson's hat-trick of U-turns on P & J pre-conditions since Monday, we now learn that the Fascists are in the process of making a hames of the plan to create eleven new "super councils" ["super" is really not a word that should be used in any Assembly context].
The conditions for a deadly CIRA/PIRA/RIRA strike are now in place and that's exactly what quite a few of the Fascists are hoping will happen.
Forecast: Trouble coming to a head; prepare for elections early New Year.
Susie
Carryduff
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