Arlene, Edwin, her replacement and his replacement as leader of the DUP

MadYaker

I know the world has gone mad but is northern ireland really going to be governed by a guy who thinks the earth is 6000 years old?

Odhinn

MadYaker wrote: »

I know the world has gone mad but is northern ireland really going to be governed by a guy who thinks the earth is 6000 years old?

.....he'll be in joint control, but yep.

FrancieBrady

His twitter handle makes him sound like somebody who'd be on Jools Holland's Hootenanny.
Edwin PootsMLA

McMurphy

Forward on to 1.35 in, Poots challenges McMichael to a fight up on the stage.


Won't let me embed it for some reason.

https://youtu.be/qj6Baef6JGw

Kaybaykwah

MadYaker wrote: »

I know the world has gone mad but is northern ireland really going to be governed by a guy who thinks the earth is 6000 years old?

Give or take a few days, I think he is pretty much on the mark.

FrancieBrady

Kaybaykwah wrote: »

Give or take a few days, I think he is pretty much on the mark.

Someone just described Poots on Twitter as 'A dinosaur who doesn't believe in dinosaurs'.

Charles Babbage

MadYaker wrote: »

I know the world has gone mad but is northern ireland really going to be governed by a guy who thinks the earth is 6000 years old?

He hasn't believed that for years, he now thinks that it is 6024 years old.

padd b1975

Fann Linn wrote: »

And a better singer.

He's no Rev. Willie McCrea.

Junkyard Tom

Political unionism is in a death spiral. Instead of trying to appeal to a broader base that Unionism needs to maintain its little statelet it reverts to its historic Paisleyite lunacy.

Unreformable.

FrancieBrady

Christoper Stalford backing Poots...he was Arlene's right hand man. Significant, as I thought he'd be more a Donaldson man.

Kaybaykwah

FrancieBrady wrote: »

Someone just described Poots on Twitter as 'A dinosaur who doesn't believe in dinosaurs'.

If there were snakes in Ireland, he'd worship them like his smarter cousins in Appalachia do.

twinytwo

Knuckles Kennedy wrote: »

The IRA shot her father and bombed her school bus which severely injured her best friend.
She was willing to share power with a woman whose party supported these acts and whose family were personally involved in terrorism.
She deserves credit for that alone.

Cry me a river.

Junkyard Tom

Junkyard Tom wrote: »

Political unionism is in a death spiral. Instead of trying to appeal to a broader base that Unionism needs to maintain its little statelet it reverts to its historic Paisleyite lunacy.

Unreformable.

and they won’t go out without a bang (literally) - I only see more violence up there - what we’ve learned is that agreements are all well and good until you don’t get what you want-then you take to the streets and fight-trying to please that voter base is going to be an impossible task

realdanbreen

blanch152 wrote: »

"There are people in Northern Ireland with a British identity, others are Irish, others are Northern Irish, others are a mixture of all three and some are new and emerging. We must all learn to be generous to each other, live together and share this wonderful country.

The future of unionism and Northern Ireland will not be found in division, it will only be found in sharing this place we all are privileged to call home."

Those are the fine words of Arlene Foster. When I see all the bile spouted about her on here, I struggle to see what motivates it other than bigotry.

Pity she couldn't bring herself to utter those " fine words" during her long political career or when what she had to say actually mattered.

Heart Break Kid

twinytwo wrote: »

Cry me a river.

Really? Do you not think that formed her beliefs that she has today.

Do you not think that if dad wasn’t shot or schoolbus attacked, she would be less hardline?

FrancieBrady

Seems to be more than just a change of leader...is this a sign of a bigger split in the party?
Seems to be a section of the party operating on their own bat. Poots terror threat and getting the council official to send that letter etc.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-politics-56938539

realdanbreen

MadYaker wrote: »

I know the world has gone mad but is northern ireland really going to be governed by a guy
who thinks the earth is 6000 years old?

Yes. Well 6024 years old, this guy is precise if nothing else. And really every time this guy is interviewed the interviewer has to start with " just to be clear Edwin, you believe that the earth is 6024 years old?". And the interview should not continue until he gives a Yes or No answer to that question.

namloc1980

Heart Break Kid wrote: »

Really? Do you not think that formed her beliefs that she has today.

Do you not think that if dad wasn’t shot or schoolbus attacked, she would be less hardline?

From the DUP point of view she's not hard-line enough, they think she's a moderate!!

FrancieBrady

Eamon Mallie (who has previously been very well sourced from within) has begun a series of tweets, revealing what went on. Fascinating stuff really.

https://twitter.com/EamonnMallie/status/1388032380854808578

FrancieBrady

It's getting feisty. My money is still on a split.

https://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/politics/dup-mp-gavin-robinsons-wife-hits-back-at-internal-party-critics-of-her-anti-gay-conversion-therapy-campaigning-3220092

bilston

FrancieBrady wrote: »

It's getting feisty. My money is still on a split.

https://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/politics/dup-mp-gavin-robinsons-wife-hits-back-at-internal-party-critics-of-her-anti-gay-conversion-therapy-campaigning-3220092

The DUP will be gone in 10 years. They barely represent anyone under the age of 50 with attitudes like that.

RandomViewer

bilston wrote: »

The DUP will be gone in 10 years. They barely represent anyone under the age of 50 with attitudes like that.

They breed them, Free Presbyterians have their own schools, Sammy was a teacher(gulp) in one of them

RandomViewer

She's leaving the DUP party as well as the positions, it must be a bitter rift

FrancieBrady

RandomViewer wrote: »

She's leaving the DUP party as well as the positions, it must be a bitter rift

Wonder what the chances are she'll do a Sylvia Hermon and stand alone? Doubt she'd go back to the UUP

Hotblack Desiato

RandomViewer wrote: »

They breed them, Free Presbyterians have their own schools, Sammy was a teacher(gulp) in one of them

96% of primary schools "down here" are controlled by churches, catholic church has 89%

We are in no position whatsoever to point fingers about sectarian schooling :mad:

RandomViewer

Hotblack Desiato wrote: »

96% of primary schools "down here" are controlled by churches, catholic church has 89%

We are in no position whatsoever to point fingers about sectarian schooling :mad:

The schools may be " controlled " as you say but they are attended by all faiths and none, big difference

circadian

Hotblack Desiato wrote: »

96% of primary schools "down here" are controlled by churches, catholic church has 89%

We are in no position whatsoever to point fingers about sectarian schooling :mad:

That's slowly changing and from what I can tell my kids aren't subject to the same Catholic schooling I got in the North as a child, which is a massive plus.

Hotblack Desiato

RandomViewer wrote: »

The schools may be " controlled " as you say but they are attended by all faiths and none, big difference

They are attended by all faiths and none because they have nowhere else to go.

RandomViewer

Hotblack Desiato wrote: »

They are attended by all faiths and none because they have nowhere else to go.

Churches don't want the schools but the government knows that if they take them over the costs will rise, no one will donate for gyms and assembly halls to a government that has members who spend the same amount required on designer shoes, Full state ownership means no more pre-fabs and damp asbestos lined 1930s buildings

Hotblack Desiato

That is rubbish, ETs are the same as any other type of school in relation to running costs and local fundraising. We need to fund ALL schools properly. And if "churches don't want the schools" why does the RCC talk a great game about divestment in theory but obstruct all attempts at divestment in practice?