The DUP thread

[imtommygunn]

If the DUP go in to stormont in the morning, are things likely to change? Would the wee 6 have access to any more finances? Genuinely interested to hear?

Some have suggested the harsh cuts are to force DUP back in and then they - ie DUP - will get a reward. Brian Feeney is sceptical of that in todays Irish News as Britain is broke and there's no Tory votes in North.

I am too. I think there are monies owed etc and basically the chickens have come home to roost from overspending and stuff like that.

[Armagh18]

If the DUP go in to stormont in the morning, are things likely to change? Would the wee 6 have access to any more finances? Genuinely interested to hear?

Some have suggested the harsh cuts are to force DUP back in and then they - ie DUP - will get a reward. Brian Feeney is sceptical of that in todays Irish News as Britain is broke and there's no Tory votes in North.

I am too. I think there are monies owed etc and basically the chickens have come home to roost from overspending and stuff like that.

Must be serious money wasted on ridiculous things because where is all this overspending happening? The roads are a joke, probably less craters on the moon. The health service is on it's knees, staff are overworked and underpaid and teachers/nurses/doctors if they've any sense are heading to the middle east or down under if they have any sense. Education not much better, schools are unbelievably underfunded.

[imtommygunn]

There is talk of EU money owed too. I read a bit on it but no expert tbh.

The health service here is absolutely crippled. I don't know how it gets out of it's current situation at all. The rest of it as you say isn't great either.

[weareros]

There is talk of EU money owed too. I read a bit on it but no expert tbh.

The health service here is absolutely crippled. I don't know how it gets out of it's current situation at all. The rest of it as you say isn't great either.

The European Social Fund was worth £40m per year to charities in North. DUP mantra was this was UK's money just coming back from EU and Brexit funds would match and exceed. When the ESF recently stopped, it was replaced by UK fund of £57m... then the fine print, £57m over two years.

[Rossfan]

Meanwhile Nationalism and its leader being all grown up

https://m.independent.ie/irish-news/politics/sinn-feins-michelle-oneill-to-attend-the-coronation-of-king-charles/a826316762.html

[93-DY-SAM]

Meanwhile Nationalism and its leader being all grown up

https://m.independent.ie/irish-news/politics/sinn-feins-michelle-oneill-to-attend-the-coronation-of-king-charles/a826316762.html

Watch wee Jim's head completely explode now!

[Ed Ricketts]

If the DUP go in to stormont in the morning, are things likely to change? Would the wee 6 have access to any more finances? Genuinely interested to hear?

Open to correction on any of this, but, as I understood it, last year Stormont took an advance from Westminster of a few hundred million to cover costs. Things like covid and inflation were blamed for this need. They then wanted to pay the few hundred million back over ~5 years, so that any cuts necessary to square things up would be more manageable.

Westminster, maybe because the Brits are broke, or because they don't give a shite about the north, or because they want to stick it to the DUP, said nah, you're paying it all back this year. Add in inflation and the hole in the budget jumps another few hundred million.

Health accounts for a massive proportion of all spending and it's already fucked, so can't be cut at all. Education is the other big ticket item and you can't cut too much there either, because kids have to go to school. So the ~£600 million hole gets plugged with deeper cuts in all the other Departments - and with a lot of things just getting axed altogether. 

Completely dysfunctional way to run things, but dysfunction is our specialty up here. Even if funding is restored next year, it will take years to work back from the damages of the 2023 cuts. Some previously funded areas will just have died off altogether, never to return. These are the things that leave us behind our neighbours in the south or elsewhere in western Europe on most important metrics.

[Armagh18]

There is only one blindingly obvious solution to this.

[skeog]

Wee Jeff been outsmarted by Michelle who is playing a blinder imo.

[6th sam]

Watch this space . I'm Not convinced that the DUP aren't the ones who are playing smart and end up getting what they want.
Getting people out to vote is a challenge,but  if you play an extreme card , then it can motivate to vote . The danger of softer politics is that it doesn't motivate .
If your position is intransigent, others end up moving to accommodate you , and you can claim victory in your intransigence. This seige mentality can work to your advantage. As we have seen in many occasions .
The final sweetener from the tories to get DUP on board , may be a big payout to boost the NI budget, for which the DUP  can also claim victory , just in time for the polls.
The Tories aren't stupid. There's a real chance that Labour will not secure a majority and the Tories could once again be dependent on DUP votes , and in any event they won't want to anger the ERG section of the party by  hanging the DUP out to dry.

Meantime a SF soft approach might get a few more SDLP votes on board but is unlikely to result in a surge.

There are craftier people than us making the decisions , and history has shown that whatever happens , Tories won't want to kick the DUP in the teeth .

It ain't over  'til it's over

[seafoid]

Watch this space . I'm Not convinced that the DUP aren't the ones who are playing smart and end up getting what they want.
Getting people out to vote is a challenge,but  if you play an extreme card , then it can motivate to vote . The danger of softer politics is that it doesn't motivate .
If your position is intransigent, others end up moving to accommodate you , and you can claim victory in your intransigence. This seige mentality can work to your advantage. As we have seen in many occasions .
The final sweetener from the tories to get DUP on board , may be a big payout to boost the NI budget, for which the DUP  can also claim victory , just in time for the polls.
The Tories aren't stupid. There's a real chance that Labour will not secure a majority and the Tories could once again be dependent on DUP votes , and in any event they won't want to anger the ERG section of the party by  hanging the DUP out to dry.

Meantime a SF soft approach might get a few more SDLP votes on board but is unlikely to result in a surge.

There are craftier people than us making the decisions , and history has shown that whatever happens , Tories won't want to kick the DUP in the teeth .

It ain't over  'til it's over

The Tories don't mind shafting the DUP.

[6th sam]

Watch this space . I'm Not convinced that the DUP aren't the ones who are playing smart and end up getting what they want.
Getting people out to vote is a challenge,but  if you play an extreme card , then it can motivate to vote . The danger of softer politics is that it doesn't motivate .
If your position is intransigent, others end up moving to accommodate you , and you can claim victory in your intransigence. This seige mentality can work to your advantage. As we have seen in many occasions .
The final sweetener from the tories to get DUP on board , may be a big payout to boost the NI budget, for which the DUP  can also claim victory , just in time for the polls.
The Tories aren't stupid. There's a real chance that Labour will not secure a majority and the Tories could once again be dependent on DUP votes , and in any event they won't want to anger the ERG section of the party by  hanging the DUP out to dry.

Meantime a SF soft approach might get a few more SDLP votes on board but is unlikely to result in a surge.

There are craftier people than us making the decisions , and history has shown that whatever happens , Tories won't want to kick the DUP in the teeth .

It ain't over  'til it's over

The Tories don't mind shafting the DUP.

They've supported the DUP shafting the rest of us for years, what makes u think they'll find a conscience all of a sudden ?

[seafoid]

Watch this space . I'm Not convinced that the DUP aren't the ones who are playing smart and end up getting what they want.
Getting people out to vote is a challenge,but  if you play an extreme card , then it can motivate to vote . The danger of softer politics is that it doesn't motivate .
If your position is intransigent, others end up moving to accommodate you , and you can claim victory in your intransigence. This seige mentality can work to your advantage. As we have seen in many occasions .
The final sweetener from the tories to get DUP on board , may be a big payout to boost the NI budget, for which the DUP  can also claim victory , just in time for the polls.
The Tories aren't stupid. There's a real chance that Labour will not secure a majority and the Tories could once again be dependent on DUP votes , and in any event they won't want to anger the ERG section of the party by  hanging the DUP out to dry.

Meantime a SF soft approach might get a few more SDLP votes on board but is unlikely to result in a surge.

There are craftier people than us making the decisions , and history has shown that whatever happens , Tories won't want to kick the DUP in the teeth .

It ain't over  'til it's over

The Tories don't mind shafting the DUP.

They've supported the DUP shafting the rest of us for years, what makes u think they'll find a conscience all of a sudden ?

The DUP shafted Theresa May. So they had to pay

[6th sam]

Watch this space . I'm Not convinced that the DUP aren't the ones who are playing smart and end up getting what they want.
Getting people out to vote is a challenge,but  if you play an extreme card , then it can motivate to vote . The danger of softer politics is that it doesn't motivate .
If your position is intransigent, others end up moving to accommodate you , and you can claim victory in your intransigence. This seige mentality can work to your advantage. As we have seen in many occasions .
The final sweetener from the tories to get DUP on board , may be a big payout to boost the NI budget, for which the DUP  can also claim victory , just in time for the polls.
The Tories aren't stupid. There's a real chance that Labour will not secure a majority and the Tories could once again be dependent on DUP votes , and in any event they won't want to anger the ERG section of the party by  hanging the DUP out to dry.

Meantime a SF soft approach might get a few more SDLP votes on board but is unlikely to result in a surge.

There are craftier people than us making the decisions , and history has shown that whatever happens , Tories won't want to kick the DUP in the teeth .

It ain't over  'til it's over

The Tories don't mind shafting the DUP.

They've supported the DUP shafting the rest of us for years, what makes u think they'll find a conscience all of a sudden ?

The DUP shafted Theresa May. So they had to pay

We'll see . Would love  to be proved wrong but think the DUP will get all the help they need when it comes down to it

[ardtole]

The torys know they can hang the dup out to dry, and they also know when they need the dup all they have to do is click their fingers and they will come running in a pathetic attempt to prove their Britishness ( probably to themselves)