The DUP thread

[Orior]

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.

Has GB News or Talk TV discussed this yet? I wonder what they make of the two different approaches.

[LC]

Conservatives forcing Jeffrey and the gang further and further into the corner they will struggle to get out of;

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-67950962

I am sure they would hand over the 6 counties in the morning if they could get away with it.

[Armagh18]

DUP'ers voting on returning to Stormont and is apparently coming down to one or two votes either way..

[Sportacus]

DUP'ers voting on returning to Stormont and is apparently coming down to one or two votes either way..

It'll be a damp squib because they all have their noses in the trough.  Jeffrey will get it through if/when he has the guts to do it, and there'll be very few big names break away.  That's my prediction.
And if they don't, Michelle was right, they can't bear to see a nationalist First Minister.

[tbrick18]

DUP'ers voting on returning to Stormont and is apparently coming down to one or two votes either way..

It'll be a damp squib because they all have their noses in the trough.  Jeffrey will get it through if/when he has the guts to do it, and there'll be very few big names break away.  That's my prediction.
And if they don't, Michelle was right, they can't bear to see a nationalist First Minister.

It's a strange one.
In my opinion, they were never going to get their 7 tests...it was always a gamble but one the DUP took to pacify the Sammy Wilson type persona in the DUP. They probably thought they'd get enough concessions to get them onside at some point, but CHH and the Tory government have basically said FU. Best we'll do is give you a few quid to smooth the return.
Realisation has hit in, the strike has shown them that they are losing the people they were confident they had in election terms. They probably still thought CHH would pay the money out for the public sector workers and the strike would be cancelled and they'd be off the hook, but that hasnt happened and now the panic is on.

Lesser of two evils, try to protect the vote by getting them the money as that's what's more important to people than the windsor framework. Yet, there's still the DUP right wingers who would do anything rather than risk their precious union or sit in Stormount with SF as the First Minister - even if that meant direct rule and no assembly. The bigotry is so rife in them.

If they go back in....it will probably be followed by another split in the DUP or another leadership contest (or maybe both). And if that happens, they could boycott it again in a very short period of time.

If they don't go back in....then we're at a standstill. Westminster don't care as there's no votes for them over here.  The anti-windsor agreement element of the dup are happy enough as they are protecting the union. The people here suffer more and more in terms of health, education, public services in general and pay. But the union is protected. A minority party with a declining minority electorate basically holding everyone to ransom for their narrow minded views.

It all shows that the only thing the DUP are interested in is the party, not the people.

If I was CHH, I'd call the border poll. I don't see any future here with a DUP who refuse to accept the democratic views of the majority unless it suits them.
The practical economic benefits of a UI are now far outweighing any romantic views of a UI or British Union, in my opinion.

[AustinPowers]

I can see big Jeffrey leaving the DUP , rather  than do a deal or to be seen to be  backing down on  the WF.  So he will be safe from  getting his arse thrown on  the bonfire every July.

The DUP as a party will  then   slip  back to Stormont ,  then appoint a leader after so no  leader gets the blame  for  doing the  deal.

Workers will  get some sort of a pay rise .  But the DUP will walk out  again within weeks over something  stupid,  like  the milk containers for the tea in Stormont  have  green lids

[Jim Bob]

Don't get this about if the DUP agreed to go back in then the pay disputes would be sorted. I have no idea what the offer is for me as a schoolmaster to cease industrial action. The negotiations have yet to begin as far as I am concerned so the industrial action may well continue long after if and when Stormont returns.

[armaghniac]

It's a strange one.
In my opinion, they were never going to get their 7 tests...it was always a gamble but one the DUP took to pacify the Sammy Wilson type persona in the DUP. They probably thought they'd get enough concessions to get them onside at some point, but CHH and the Tory government have basically said FU. Best we'll do is give you a few quid to smooth the return.
Realisation has hit in, the strike has shown them that they are losing the people they were confident they had in election terms. They probably still thought CHH would pay the money out for the public sector workers and the strike would be cancelled and they'd be off the hook, but that hasnt happened and now the panic is on.

In the real world, the Tories did not say FU, there were quite a few practical measures introduced to the Protocol, as much as was possible while NI remained in the Single Market and GB did not. But a bit like Theresa May, who made a genuine effort to give them something, Sunak found that these people have no interest in the real world.

[tbrick18]

Don't get this about if the DUP agreed to go back in then the pay disputes would be sorted. I have no idea what the offer is for me as a schoolmaster to cease industrial action. The negotiations have yet to begin as far as I am concerned so the industrial action may well continue long after if and when Stormont returns.

That's a fair point. I'd assumed there was a figure that the unions are asking for and the financial settlement from Westminster included funds to meet that figure so that there is pay parity across the UK.
Perhaps that's not the case.

[weareros]

Does this money go away if the DUP do not go back in. Carmel Gates made them sound like the heroes of the hour on BBC last night, she wasn't going to criticise them in case they were holding out for more money.

[Pub Bore]

Does this money go away if the DUP do not go back in. Carmel Gates made them sound like the heroes of the hour on BBC last night, she wasn't going to criticise them in case they were holding out for more money.

The reluctance of unions to call out the DUP is yet more evidence that they're pretty useless organisations.  Holding out for more dough is a recipe for never going back..."'cause they'll offer us more next week"

[johnnycool]

Does this money go away if the DUP do not go back in. Carmel Gates made them sound like the heroes of the hour on BBC last night, she wasn't going to criticise them in case they were holding out for more money.

The reluctance of unions to call out the DUP is yet more evidence that they're pretty useless organisations.  Holding out for more dough is a recipe for never going back..."'cause they'll offer us more next week"

I think it's clear CHH did cough up more dough for pay disputes and it's tied to the DUP going back into Stormont.

If the DUP don't go back then that money goes back to whitehall evidently.

Jeffrey still having splinters on the auld arse by the looks of it.

[marty34]

I think the DUP are spooked by the big strike yesterday. This 'meeting' has come very quick after the lull last week.

There was a vox pox on Evening Extra for the Shankill Road and it was about 3/4 saying to the DUP to get back to work.

On the other side you have the TUV who'll be turning the screw.

Interesting stuff.

[The Trap]

On Thursday the DUP get walloped by strikers and a resignation so on Friday they change the narrative to take away the negative headlines.......if they don't go back they should br further vilified for taking publicity away from the strikers. They have no shame!

[bennydorano]

A f**king TUV Party Political broadcast was on straight after the BBCNI news tonight, WTF was that about? Thought they were only allowed on when elections were imminent. Seemed very odd to me, haven't seen any other party's recently 🤔