The DUP thread

[Armagh18]

I think that is pretty much it. They have backed themselves into a corner here. If they go back they will lose hardcode voters which is their bread and butter. If they don't they will probably lose more moderate voters.

It's a mess all of their own doing and hopefully it is the end of them as a serious party. (They never were a serious party but unfortunately they're a party that has to be taken seriously  )

To me, that is one of the most depressing aspects of all this - that there are as many hardcore voters out there who support this nonsense that the likes of the DUP have to pander to. Depressing as f**k.

Problem is this hardcore element will vote for them regardless, are at two different ends of the spectrum socially.

One are the hardcore loyalists in Carrick, Antrim and Ards and the like who will claim their benefits regardless so doesnt affect them. The other are the well off older generation who can have their principles because they can afford them, final salary pensions, houses paid off etc.

It's the group in the middle who are being impacted who should have the say, but will they?!

18th Jan is a massive day of co-ordinated strike action but the unions. We'll see if it makes a difference but so far the unions are directing their anger at CHH and not the DUP.

Bar telling the DUP to go and jump and letting Michelle in with Naomi Long as her deputy I'm not sure what else he's meant to do in fairness to him.

Madness that it's taken so long to get to this point though.

[seafoid]

Presumably it is just a once off. The UK government and bank of England created inflation so it is fair for them to pay. The GFA needs to be revised. It is too easy to hijack,  leaving the North without an Assembly.

[Armagh18]

Jeff saying he needs the deal to "restore NI's place in the UK".

What does that mean ffs. Should a decent interviewer not say to him that no one is threatening it?

Brits should threaten him with a border poll if he doesn't go back in. And one a year every year until Stormont is back or it passes.

[LC]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-67759418

The Scots are £1.5b in the red and they have to sort it themselves and make the hard / unpopular calls to fix it, they must look at NI and go wtf.

Re the hard calls the Scottish Government are having to make even if the British Government gave full authority on all fiscal matters to Stormont no minister would have the balls to make decisions like this.  Folks on the hill want to have power and control but not make hard calls.

[Hereiam]

One thing for sure is that our rates are going to take a fair jump. Strap yourselves in

[trailer]

One thing for sure is that our rates are going to take a fair jump. Strap yourselves in

I actually wouldn't mind rates going up if services improved. But hiking rates and taxes in general when most roads are full of potholes, waiting lists are years long, school buildings are falling down, almost every union is striking and Lough Neagh resembles a sink someone has been sick in at a bad NYE party is going to be hard to stomach.

[naka]

One thing for sure is that our rates are going to take a fair jump. Strap yourselves in

some transparency on expenditure would be welcome
 

[AustinPowers]

One thing for sure is that our rates are going to take a fair jump. Strap yourselves in

I actually wouldn't mind rates going up if services improved. But hiking rates and taxes in general when most roads are full of potholes, waiting lists are years long, school buildings are falling down, almost every union is striking and Lough Neagh resembles a sink someone has been sick in at a bad NYE party is going to be hard to stomach.

It's always  ordinary folk who suffer though isn't it?  Services won't.  get any better when they take more  money off people.

Here's a  starting place though. A salary of  £55,000 x 25 DUP MLA's = £1,375,000.  Nearly double  that  considering it's been 2 years since they sat .

That's a lot of potholes fixed , and  nurses wages or classroom assistants.

[Applesisapples]

That Donaldson is a hostage to extreme loyalists both within the DUP and outside. I've said it before and it's worth repeating, I learned a long time ago that you cannot underestimate the amount of self inflicted harm hardline unionists will endure rather than be seen to give even an inch. Time to close Stormont for good and get joint authority on the go.

[nrico2006]

I will never understand why someone doesn't stop their salaries straight away when these boycotts happen.

[trailer]

I will never understand why someone doesn't stop their salaries straight away when these boycotts happen.

They are reduced by 27% at the minute. But if they don't go in this time the whole assembly needs binned. It's clearly not workable.

[Sportacus]

I will never understand why someone doesn't stop their salaries straight away when these boycotts happen.

They are reduced by 27% at the minute. But if they don't go in this time the whole assembly needs binned. It's clearly not workable.

Sooner the better.  It's a joke shop.  Michelle seems the caring type and a decent spud, but the MLAs aren't capable of making the big decisions. They are mostly either incompetent or too twisted to work together.

[nrico2006]

I will never understand why someone doesn't stop their salaries straight away when these boycotts happen.

They are reduced by 27% at the minute. But if they don't go in this time the whole assembly needs binned. It's clearly not workable.

Snipping a bit off was never going to make a difference. We need a system where the best/most intelligent people run the country, not the ones who simply do the best in elections.

[imtommygunn]

I don't think anywhere in the world has that...

[NAG1]

I will never understand why someone doesn't stop their salaries straight away when these boycotts happen.

They are reduced by 27% at the minute. But if they don't go in this time the whole assembly needs binned. It's clearly not workable.

Snipping a bit off was never going to make a difference. We need a system where the best/most intelligent people run the country, not the ones who simply do the best in elections.

Unfortunately the best and brightest never (or very very rarely) end up in politics and even more unfortunately the corrupt and incompetent more often than not do.