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

Kermit.de.frog

This one must become leader

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4TeNAT0Uc4

Fionn1952

Pandiculation wrote: »

Well, if the trends from January's opinion polls are anything to go by, they could well fail to be in the next NI Government, if some alternative unionist mandate could be put together, with the UUP and the Alliance party declaring themselves as unionist for the purposes of a coalition.

It's kind of hard to read NI trends as there are so few polls conducted.

Of all the things I can say with confidence, one I can be as close to certain of as possible is that Alliance absolutely won't designate themselves a Unionist party. It would be a complete and utter betrayal of everything they stand for and totally undermines all the gains they're currently making and stand to make as a non Green or Orange option. Combined with the total ineptitude of the UUP, short of collapsing Stormont, the DUP will absolutely feature in the next NI government.

Even with the most catastrophic of elections, Alliance won't designate as Unionist and neither UUP nor TUV will come close to surpassing DUP.

dd973

How are Catholics 'racially inferior' to Protestants as they see it? Before the Reformation wasn't everybody in Europe a Catholic?

External Association

awec wrote: »

The new leader must surely come from their pool of ministers or MPs. They will hardly leapfrog a MLA with no portfolio straight to the top?

So that would make the pool:

Diane Dodds
Peter Weir
Edwin Poots

Sammy Wilson - lol
Ian Paisley - no chance, too many issues behind the scenes
Jeffrey Donaldson - top candidate in the MP pool
Jim Shannon - boring
Paul Girvan - a real bible thumper type, they'd be mad.
Carla Lockhart - first term MP, been an MLA and a councillor previously. Outside bet maybe, but I'd say she lacks profile. She is the MP of my home constituency and I always felt she never really got herself out of councillor mode and didn't realise that being an MLA was not about getting photographed fixing potholes.
Gavin Robinson - too liberal.

Paisley JR, is it financial stuff behind the scenes?

External Association

dd973 wrote: »

How are Catholics 'racially inferior' to Protestants as they see it? Before the Reformation wasn't everybody in Europe a Catholic?

The Reformation reformed them into a super race

Fionn1952

External Association wrote: »

Paisley JR, is it financial stuff behind the scenes?

Long standing issues since his Da was given the boot.

Junkyard Tom

Can't see Unionists wanting to maintain Stormont as a minority.

breezy1985

realdanbreen wrote: »

Given the DUP stance on various issues and their history we know that the leader cannot be
Openly gay
Catholic
Liberal
Fond of a drink/ smoke, or an odd bet.
GAA fan.
Fashion conscious
And definitely not up for a fling or they will be carted off for a " period of reflection " like Iris was.

Into Rihanna getting her t**s out.
Enjoying football on a Sunday.
Accepting the fact that they helped create Brexit

raclle

batman75 wrote: »

Never felt she actively sought to represent all the people of NI as first minister. The scary thing is as inept as she was we may find in time she was the best of a dire lot. Really hard to see someone in their ranks that you could say yeah he/she is inclusive in their thinking.

None of them do. Honestly how does a party like that still exist? I'm surprised Westminster hasn't found a way to disband the entire lot of them

jimmycrackcorm

Junkyard Tom wrote: »

Can't see Unionists wanting to maintain Stormont as a minority.

They won't get a choice - the days of getting a million unionists out on strike are long gone and the Tories will apply governance that is unpalatable to them now. The latter being the main reason they had to get back into Stormont more recently when the DUP discovered that they couldn't block SSM or abortions.

If they stay out of Stormont, who knows how much treachery Boris will foist on them.

CIARAN_BOYLE

awec wrote: »

The new leader must surely come from their pool of ministers or MPs. They will hardly leapfrog a MLA with no portfolio straight to the top?

Any MLA who was a minister before but lost their job as Arlene was unhappy with them out for revenge?

McMurphy

Unionism, or certainly the more hard-line conservative type unionism is in trouble I believe, Brexit, which the aforementioned hard-line conservative type cheered on ironically looks to be what'll be their downfall.

Hate to say I told them so*


*That might be a lie.

realdanbreen

awec wrote: »

The new leader must surely come from their pool of ministers or MPs. They will hardly leapfrog a MLA with no portfolio straight to the top?

So that would make the pool:

Diane Dodds
Peter Weir
Edwin Poots

Sammy Wilson - lol
Ian Paisley - no chance, too many issues behind the scenes
Jeffrey Donaldson - top candidate in the MP pool
Jim Shannon - boring
Paul Girvan - a real bible thumper type, they'd be mad.
Carla Lockhart - first term MP, been an MLA and a councillor previously. Outside bet maybe, but I'd say she lacks profile. She is the MP of my home constituency and I always felt she never really got herself out of councillor mode and didn't realise that being an MLA was not about getting photographed fixing potholes.
Gavin Robinson - too liberal.

What way did the ones above vote on the "Gay prevention therapy" bill?
If we knew that then we could see if there were any left that are not nutters!
BTW Arlene abstained on that vote so obviously she doesn't regard the bill as complete horse****.

realdanbreen

McMurphy wrote: »

Unionism, or certainly the more hard-line conservative type unionism is in trouble I believe, Brexit, which the aforementioned hard-line conservative type cheered on ironically looks to be what'll be their downfall.

Hate to say I told them so*


*That might be a lie.

Unionism has been in big trouble since the DUP held therese Mays government in hostage a few years back. The Tories saw that as the last straw and have edged ever closer since to ditching the 6 counties the first chance they get. I don't know what the big fuss is anyway as I believe in a united Ireland the unionists will be treated every bit as fairly as they treated Nationalists down through the years.

Del.Monte

Reading through the thread it's easy to see why Unionists relish the prospect of being part of a united Ireland. Ridicule and the usual trolling bs - shure why not dispense with elections altogether and let the wonderful, clean living, secular Shinners have free rein.

Beechwoodspark

Nigel Dodds ?

Robin swan?

L1011

Del.Monte wrote: »

Reading through the thread it's easy to see why Unionists relish the prospect of being part of a united Ireland. Ridicule and the usual trolling bs - shure why not dispense with elections altogether and let the wonderful, clean living, secular Shinners have free rein.

Can you actually point out the posts that show any of that?

L1011

Beechwoodspark wrote: »

Nigel Dodds ?

Robin swan?

Robin Swann is in the UUP.

McMurphy

Del.Monte wrote: »

Reading through the thread it's easy to see why Unionists relish the prospect of being part of a united Ireland. Ridicule and the usual trolling bs - shure why not dispense with elections altogether and let the wonderful, clean living, secular Shinners have free rein.

People aren't necessarily mocking unionists per say, certainly I'm not anyway.

Some people are pointing at the backwards thinking and attitudes of some of the creationist, homophobic, Bible bashing sectarian bigots that are vocal within that cohort.

Like if you're going to stand over stuff like this.

Certainly not, and there are plenty of other people in this society who don't believe it either.

Mervyn Storey, former education minister when asked if he believed in Darwinism.

He's literally denying Darwin's evolution theories, so that is fair game imo.

More of their brainfart nonsense here

banie01

L1011 wrote: »

Can you actually point out the posts that show any of that?

Well I did previously get a card on the thread for a ham product related remark.
So he isn't exactly wrong on the low level trolling.

I should have framed my remark more in terms of seeing someone with Sammy Wilson's political nous being thrust into the leadership of the biggest Unionist party being a potentially entertaining political implosion.
I tried it via a shorthand, and copped a fair warning.

Now do I believe the DUP are a progressive, inclusive and capable political party?
Capable of compromise and realpolitik?
No, they are lurching evermore towards an already fairly extreme right.
Chasing the TUV votes rather than the centre ground and there is a cohort amongst them that are akin to fundamental Christianity and Islam in how they view women's rights, reproductive rights, LGBTQ rights and a slew of other social issues.

The DUP made the bed they are in, they have belatedly realised that not only have they made it, they have also set it on fire and sought to cast blame on others for dropping the lighter.

FrancieBrady

I thought the letter would make her position untenable...wonder is she gonna dig in and make things messy?

Dyr

realdanbreen wrote: »

Unionism has been in big trouble since the DUP held therese Mays government in hostage a few years back. The Tories saw that as the last straw and have edged ever closer since to ditching the 6 counties the first chance they get. I don't know what the big fuss is anyway as I believe in a united Ireland the unionists will be treated every bit as fairly as they treated Nationalists down through the years.

The Brits arent giving up NI of their own volition, it could precipitate the break up of the Union.

Another Scottish indie ref might do the trick whatever way the vote goes. With Scotland resolved one way or the other it might free up a border poll.

cantwbr1

FrancieBrady wrote: »

I thought the letter would make her position untenable...wonder is she gonna dig in and make things messy?

What is in the letter? I missed it someplace along the line.

awec

Beechwoodspark wrote: »

Nigel Dodds ?

Robin swan?

Dodds is deputy leader at the moment, think he'll also be pushed from his position. He also has no seat anywhere.

oisinog

awec wrote: »

Dodds is deputy leader at the moment, think he'll also be pushed from his position. He also has no seat anywhere.

Listening to N*lan Show at, Sam McBride is suggesting Poots is going to be the next leader, he has been very visable in the Media over the past week.

Dodds is going to be pushed out but the interesting thing is what will his wife do.

FrancieBrady

cantwbr1 wrote: »

What is in the letter? I missed it someplace along the line.

Thread on it here from Sam McBride...with 'quotes'. Don't think it has been published yet.

https://twitter.com/SJAMcBride/status/1387069969062670336

breezy1985

Del.Monte wrote: »

Reading through the thread it's easy to see why Unionists relish the prospect of being part of a united Ireland. Ridicule and the usual trolling bs - shure why not dispense with elections altogether and let the wonderful, clean living, secular Shinners have free rein.

The English ridicule and troll northern "paddies" way worse than we do down south

Hurrache

L1011 wrote: »

Can you actually point out the posts that show any of that?

The man from Del Monte says No, to answering any reasonable questions asked.

Call me Al

batman75 wrote: »

I don't think the DUP thought through the consequences of what a Brexit coming to pass would actually mean given they supported it. The DUP has belatedly realised that Johnson doesn't give a toss about NI. They're upset because the Brexit they supported had lead to trade borders between NI and their beloved United Kingdom. I think it's custom's border which has done for Foster. I hated her myself. Never felt she actively sought to represent all the people of NI as first minister.
The scary thing is as inept as she was we may find in time she was the best of a dire lot. Really hard to see someone in their ranks that you could say yeah he/she is inclusive in their thinking. The DUP know in their hearts of hearts that a UI is coming down the track and once it does their raison d'etre ceases.

Does anyone think the DUP want to be inclusive?
I can't help but feel that is the very opposite of what they've ever wanted.
Their purpose has always involved creating a group of "others", a target to focus their nastiness at. In the midst of a war it stoked things up.
They've never been a placating and considered voice. The party attracts like-minded supporters so they never will be either.
I think with the pressures of the NIP taking it's toll on their ideology we can look at the extreme end of the party for their next leader..

Lmkrnr

Isn't the orange on our tricolour to show inclusion to the Prodestant section of Ireland. How inclusive do we need to be. They burn the same flag on bonfires, you would think they would remove the orange part first.