Brexit.

[Eamonnca1]

You're correct in that Johnson wants a general election to establish a majority government, it has been his modus operandi from the get go. However, the DUP will no longer be relevant after the next election barring another quirk of fate with the numbers. If the opposition granted him an election (which I doubt they will) I think he will use this to try and get his deal from last week ratified. The downside of an election for the Tories will be their annihilation in Scotland and the potential for the next government to grant a second independence referendum after Brexit is done.

I wouldn't count on that. The cash-for-ash scandal wasn't enough to finish Arlene and bring about a UUP renaissance. What makes you think the Brexit debacle will be any different? All the DUP have to do is wave the orange fleg and berate the Shinners hard enough that they'll come back with as many MPs as before, and probably even more.

Fingers crossed Arlene gets nailed when the report comes out RHI isn't over yet!!

As for the Loyalists it's laughable. Apparently when us remainers called them stupid and said they didn't know what they voted for we were just part of the sneering liberal elite and we were trying to deny their sovereignty... f**k them they deserve everything they get!!

They gambled that they could get a hard border in Ireland and it backfired spectacularly on them.

As a matter of interest who is this Loyalist Civil unrest going to be aimed at?? It's not the Irish Govts fault the UK voted out... it's not the Nationalist/Remainers fault... they voted to leave so they can hardly take it out on themselves.

They'll have to mount a campaign against the British Govt on the mainland... They'll need to be sure they have the correct export papers when they get to Holyhead though!!!

Innocent taigs, if the past is anything to go by.

[tyrone08]

You're correct in that Johnson wants a general election to establish a majority government, it has been his modus operandi from the get go. However, the DUP will no longer be relevant after the next election barring another quirk of fate with the numbers. If the opposition granted him an election (which I doubt they will) I think he will use this to try and get his deal from last week ratified. The downside of an election for the Tories will be their annihilation in Scotland and the potential for the next government to grant a second independence referendum after Brexit is done.

I wouldn't count on that. The cash-for-ash scandal wasn't enough to finish Arlene and bring about a UUP renaissance. What makes you think the Brexit debacle will be any different? All the DUP have to do is wave the orange fleg and berate the Shinners hard enough that they'll come back with as many MPs as before, and probably even more.

Fingers crossed Arlene gets nailed when the report comes out RHI isn't over yet!!

As for the Loyalists it's laughable. Apparently when us remainers called them stupid and said they didn't know what they voted for we were just part of the sneering liberal elite and we were trying to deny their sovereignty... f**k them they deserve everything they get!!

They gambled that they could get a hard border in Ireland and it backfired spectacularly on them.

As a matter of interest who is this Loyalist Civil unrest going to be aimed at?? It's not the Irish Govts fault the UK voted out... it's not the Nationalist/Remainers fault... they voted to leave so they can hardly take it out on themselves.

They'll have to mount a campaign against the British Govt on the mainland... They'll need to be sure they have the correct export papers when they get to Holyhead though!!!

Innocent taigs, if the past is anything to go by.

The loyalist anger will always be directed at Catholics. Any normal person would have seen this as a clear sign that the British government doesn't want or care for NI. But the loyalists like a needy child want to cling on for dear life.

Wouldn't expect the DUP to lose many mps at the next election. Their base are the same hard-core followers as Donald Trumps, nothing the DUP does will affect that base.

One thing I have learnt from the troubles documentary is that a loyalist campaign will not survive without being fed information from the British government. Can't see this happening this time though.

[haranguerer]

The old enemy 

Its the Irish govt who are getting it, accompanied by cries of republicans having been rewarded for threatening violence.

I do think at this point its sabre rattling when there still is a chance of it having some effect, and hopefully when Brexit sorted it will settle into something more constructive (working class loyalism needs representation, take on the DUP at the polls), but there will undoubtedly be some eejits who'll seek to cause trouble, and as soon as they do, Bryson et al should be lifted for incitement.

[seafoid]

These FT numbers are amazing

"After the British government's partition of Ireland in 1920-21, the areas in and around Belfast in the north produced about 80 per cent of the whole island's industrial output. Now the Republic's output is 10 times greater than Northern Ireland's."

[yellowcard]

You're correct in that Johnson wants a general election to establish a majority government, it has been his modus operandi from the get go. However, the DUP will no longer be relevant after the next election barring another quirk of fate with the numbers. If the opposition granted him an election (which I doubt they will) I think he will use this to try and get his deal from last week ratified. The downside of an election for the Tories will be their annihilation in Scotland and the potential for the next government to grant a second independence referendum after Brexit is done.

I wouldn't count on that. The cash-for-ash scandal wasn't enough to finish Arlene and bring about a UUP renaissance. What makes you think the Brexit debacle will be any different? All the DUP have to do is wave the orange fleg and berate the Shinners hard enough that they'll come back with as many MPs as before, and probably even more.

When I say no longer relevant I mean that the numbers are very unlikely to afford them the opportunity of holding the balance of power again and I don't think their obstruction to the existing government would endear any potential future minority government to embrace them again even if they did.

In terms of seats and votes, I agree totally that not much will change. They will blame the EU, the Shinners and the Irish government and return with a similar amount of seats. This won't say anything about the quality of leadership within Unionism though, young people of a different generation have been left bemused and dismayed by the DUP's behaviour under Arlene Foster's leadership.

[t_mac]

Unfortunately an Election will give Tories a huge majority, Brexit party will do feck all, and Libs and Greens will spilt Labour - Boris will get his way maybe not by Oct 31st but by Christmas.

[screenexile]

Unfortunately an Election will give Tories a huge majority, Brexit party will do feck all, and Libs and Greens will spilt Labour - Boris will get his way maybe not by Oct 31st but by Christmas.

I can't see the Tories getting a huge majority

1. They've lost Scotland now with Ruth Davidson gone and Scotland getting shafted

2. They've lost London with their leave stance

3. The staunch Labour leave voting areas they are targeting up North will still find it difficult to put a tick in the box for a Tory

A GE will still have to be some kind of coalition government and who wants to form a coalition with the Tories?? DUP won't again and they'll siphen off a fair chunk of their membership if they go into coalition with the Brexit party.

It's all to play for!!

[yellowcard]

Nigel Dodds is now calling out the UK PM and the Brexit secretary as either liars or incompetent on twitter.

Looks like the DUP have now gone full rogue against the Tories, could we yet see them switch sides to a softer customs union Brexit option in tandem with the opposition. Either way they are loving this media spotlight.

[weareros]

Nigel Dodds is now calling out the UK PM and the Brexit secretary as either liars or incompetent on twitter.

Looks like the DUP have now gone full rogue against the Tories, could we yet see them switch sides to a softer customs union Brexit option in tandem with the opposition. Either way they are loving this media spotlight.

The media spotlight they love could also be termed: give them enough rope and they will hang themselves.

[TabClear]

Nigel Dodds is now calling out the UK PM and the Brexit secretary as either liars or incompetent on twitter.

Looks like the DUP have now gone full rogue against the Tories, could we yet see them switch sides to a softer customs union Brexit option in tandem with the opposition. Either way they are loving this media spotlight.

The media spotlight they love could also be termed: give them enough rope and they will hang themselves.

The problem with that particular shower is that they have no shame. Some of the ramblings of their so called senior party members are borderline deranged, hypocritical and so nonsensical that they make the Donald look measured and yet they still get voted back in as long as themmums dont like it.

If they screw themselves with the Tories they could nt care less, as long as they can crow on TV about how they stood up for the Union (and fcuk the unionist businesses, farmers etc that will suffer as a consequence) 

[Main Street]

An 'Ulster says no to Brexit' campaign might have confused a few of the DUP voting brethren.

[red hander]

DUP totally overplayed their hand out of utter arrogance and belief they could trust the Tories, despite being told by everybody else they would be shafted. It's their Brexit, they agitated for it, and now the reality has dawned they're trying to blame everybody else. Bryson and his UVF drug dealing rapist mates are threatening violence and blaming it on nationalists... if one innocent person is murdered as result of unionists being thrown under bus, that little f**king Elmer Fudd needs dealt with.

[balladmaker]

DUP totally overplayed their hand out of utter arrogance and belief they could trust the Tories, despite being told by everybody else they would be shafted. It's their Brexit, they agitated for it, and now the reality has dawned they're trying to blame everybody else. Bryson and his UVF drug dealing rapist mates are threatening violence and blaming it on nationalists... if one innocent person is murdered as result of unionists being thrown under bus, that little f**king Elmer Fudd needs dealt with.

+1.  Bryson is a dangerous fool, should one innocent person die as a result of his, the DUP's, and loyalist agitation,  the whole damn lot of them need locked up for eternity!

[yellowcard]

DUP totally overplayed their hand out of utter arrogance and belief they could trust the Tories, despite being told by everybody else they would be shafted. It's their Brexit, they agitated for it, and now the reality has dawned they're trying to blame everybody else. Bryson and his UVF drug dealing rapist mates are threatening violence and blaming it on nationalists... if one innocent person is murdered as result of unionists being thrown under bus, that little f**king Elmer Fudd needs dealt with.

+1.  Bryson is a dangerous fool, should one innocent person die as a result of his, the DUP's, and loyalist agitation,  the whole damn lot of them need locked up for eternity!

Anyone taking Jamie Bryson seriously needs to take a good long look at themselves. He wants to stir up hatred and division but in reality most people simply treat him as a figure of ridicule which is precisely the way he should be treated. He has no credibility, no mandate, no job and is a self anointed spokesman for UVF drug dealing criminals. Another godsend for bolstering nationalist support if you ask me.

[red hander]

Absolutely right. He's a f**king non-entity, but he's been given a platform by that utter sc**bag Nolan, who is only in this for his own ego driven enrichment, superinjunctions and all. A total windup merchant boosting his own career and using this utter loyalist gobshite for his own ends, but innocent people will suffer as result