The DUP thread

[gallsman]

Lads getting on as if they don't know how WhatsApp backups work in 2023 ffs. Wise up.

[imtommygunn]

He should be blocked on social media and Nolan shouldn't be near your radio or tv.

[Keyser soze]

Here I think JB is a great fella, someone of this calibre setting the agenda for unionism can only be good for nationalism imo, and needs to be encouraged. Everything he touches turns to shit.

Though in fairness the elected face of unionism as repped by Sammy, Gregory, Shannon and Lockhart are hardly intellectual heavyweights either.

[marty34]

DUP party officers meeting today/tonight to discuss the current negotiations.
Are they about to go back into Stormont?

Bryson in full flow, time they ignored that bollox but the loyalist "stakeholders" and the OO will also have their say, yet they still get on their high horse over "SF/IRA"!!!
Dodds and Sammy will be trying to scupper this as well.

Donaldson could sell this as a win, but he lacks backbone and will need to read the room as patience is running out on the DUP with the NHS in freefall and the education sector looking at a swathe of redundancies if more budget isn't secured for 2024.

Their MPs are probably against it.  Out of sight and out of mind type of thing. They don't care.  They have it handy hob nobing in London and won't get the anger the MLAs get.

[marty34]

DUP party officers meeting today/tonight to discuss the current negotiations.
Are they about to go back into Stormont?

Bryson in full flow, time they ignored that bollox but the loyalist "stakeholders" and the OO will also have their say, yet they still get on their high horse over "SF/IRA"!!!
Dodds and Sammy will be trying to scupper this as well.

Donaldson could sell this as a win, but he lacks backbone and will need to read the room as patience is running out on the DUP with the NHS in freefall and the education sector looking at a swathe of redundancies if more budget isn't secured for 2024.

If DUP / Shinners et all walked back into Stormont in the morning they would not have and never will have the competency (brains) to fix things.  There is £2.5 billion carrot being dangled so why do the British Government not just give the money to the Civil Service, who are currently running the country, and let them get on with things.  When it comes to fiscal management our elected representatives are to often blinded by their political alleigances when it comes to the allocation of public money whether it be Irish Language, bonfires, housing and the slush fund of all slush funds the 'community' groups.  Putting money towards Irish Language / bonfires scores brownie points with their core vote and they would far rather do this than put their heads together to see what needs to be done to have for example prevent Causeway Hospital maternity being relocated to Antrim or ensuring Daisy Hill and SWAH are able to offer a better service than they currently are.  If they cant wrap a tricolour or union jack around it they don't give a f@@k.

What's the Irish language got to do with anything?

[Eire90]

too many stakeholder types in irish politics on both sides of border

[Wildweasel74]

Listen, they signed off a structure in EA and DE which left 2 more layers of management than previous. I say to ones in at work, if this was a private company I sack 25% of the staff, and reduce all the extra layers of paperwork and actually maybe get stuff done. The amount of staff hired past 4yrs is something else.

[Delgany 2nds]

The EA is a complete shambles. They are understaffed, people leaving in droves, the admin of SEN is a disgrace. The amalgamation into one provincial body was poorly planned , ( saved very little money!) and has no leadership!

[nrico2006]

DUP party officers meeting today/tonight to discuss the current negotiations.
Are they about to go back into Stormont?

Bryson in full flow, time they ignored that bollox but the loyalist "stakeholders" and the OO will also have their say, yet they still get on their high horse over "SF/IRA"!!!
Dodds and Sammy will be trying to scupper this as well.

Donaldson could sell this as a win, but he lacks backbone and will need to read the room as patience is running out on the DUP with the NHS in freefall and the education sector looking at a swathe of redundancies if more budget isn't secured for 2024.

If DUP / Shinners et all walked back into Stormont in the morning they would not have and never will have the competency (brains) to fix things.  There is £2.5 billion carrot being dangled so why do the British Government not just give the money to the Civil Service, who are currently running the country, and let them get on with things.  When it comes to fiscal management our elected representatives are to often blinded by their political alleigances when it comes to the allocation of public money whether it be Irish Language, bonfires, housing and the slush fund of all slush funds the 'community' groups.  Putting money towards Irish Language / bonfires scores brownie points with their core vote and they would far rather do this than put their heads together to see what needs to be done to have for example prevent Causeway Hospital maternity being relocated to Antrim or ensuring Daisy Hill and SWAH are able to offer a better service than they currently are.  If they cant wrap a tricolour or union jack around it they don't give a f@@k.

What's the Irish language got to do with anything?

I think his point is that it's not one bit important in the grand scheme of things, has been a major issue that's been heavily focused on but whether it was implemented or not really doesn't positively impact the country as a whole in real terms.

[LC]

DUP party officers meeting today/tonight to discuss the current negotiations.
Are they about to go back into Stormont?

Bryson in full flow, time they ignored that bollox but the loyalist "stakeholders" and the OO will also have their say, yet they still get on their high horse over "SF/IRA"!!!
Dodds and Sammy will be trying to scupper this as well.

Donaldson could sell this as a win, but he lacks backbone and will need to read the room as patience is running out on the DUP with the NHS in freefall and the education sector looking at a swathe of redundancies if more budget isn't secured for 2024.

If DUP / Shinners et all walked back into Stormont in the morning they would not have and never will have the competency (brains) to fix things.  There is £2.5 billion carrot being dangled so why do the British Government not just give the money to the Civil Service, who are currently running the country, and let them get on with things.  When it comes to fiscal management our elected representatives are to often blinded by their political alleigances when it comes to the allocation of public money whether it be Irish Language, bonfires, housing and the slush fund of all slush funds the 'community' groups.  Putting money towards Irish Language / bonfires scores brownie points with their core vote and they would far rather do this than put their heads together to see what needs to be done to have for example prevent Causeway Hospital maternity being relocated to Antrim or ensuring Daisy Hill and SWAH are able to offer a better service than they currently are.  If they cant wrap a tricolour or union jack around it they don't give a f@@k.

What's the Irish language got to do with anything?

I think his point is that it's not one bit important in the grand scheme of things, has been a major issue that's been heavily focused on but whether it was implemented or not really doesn't positively impact the country as a whole in real terms.

Could not have put it better myself nrico.

Nothing against the Irish Language but access to a decent healthcare service will always be a greater benefit, and I would like to think more important for the majority of people, than if the local road signs are in Irish or not.

[armaghniac]

Nothing against the Irish Language but access to a decent healthcare service will always be a greater benefit, and I would like to think more important for the majority of people, than if the local road signs are in Irish or not.

The two things are not in conflict at all, we should have both.

[TabClear]

Nothing against the Irish Language but access to a decent healthcare service will always be a greater benefit, and I would like to think more important for the majority of people, than if the local road signs are in Irish or not.

The two things are not in conflict at all, we should have both.

In the current economic climate of course they are in conflict. I know from my side, if it was a choice between ten more nurses in the NHS in the province or every sign in Irish it's a no brainer  as far as I'm concerned.

[armaghniac]

Nothing against the Irish Language but access to a decent healthcare service will always be a greater benefit, and I would like to think more important for the majority of people, than if the local road signs are in Irish or not.

The two things are not in conflict at all, we should have both.

In the current economic climate of course they are in conflict. I know from my side, if it was a choice between ten more nurses in the NHS in the province or every sign in Irish it's a no brainer  as far as I'm concerned.

This is a false dichotomy, nobody is proposing wholesale erection of signs in Irish, only that they might be replaced in due course as they need to. The only waste of money in relation to Irish is these "consultations" that allow anti Irish sentiments to determine public policy.
If you examined all public expenditure in NI with a view to diverting more funds to the NHS then there are plenty of areas to look at.

[Nanderson]

'Stop the DUP sellout' signs starting to appear overnight in DUP strongholds. The stakeholders know whats coming this week and they want to threaten the DUP into 'standing firm'

[marty34]

DUP party officers meeting today/tonight to discuss the current negotiations.
Are they about to go back into Stormont?

Bryson in full flow, time they ignored that bollox but the loyalist "stakeholders" and the OO will also have their say, yet they still get on their high horse over "SF/IRA"!!!
Dodds and Sammy will be trying to scupper this as well.

Donaldson could sell this as a win, but he lacks backbone and will need to read the room as patience is running out on the DUP with the NHS in freefall and the education sector looking at a swathe of redundancies if more budget isn't secured for 2024.

If DUP / Shinners et all walked back into Stormont in the morning they would not have and never will have the competency (brains) to fix things.  There is £2.5 billion carrot being dangled so why do the British Government not just give the money to the Civil Service, who are currently running the country, and let them get on with things.  When it comes to fiscal management our elected representatives are to often blinded by their political alleigances when it comes to the allocation of public money whether it be Irish Language, bonfires, housing and the slush fund of all slush funds the 'community' groups.  Putting money towards Irish Language / bonfires scores brownie points with their core vote and they would far rather do this than put their heads together to see what needs to be done to have for example prevent Causeway Hospital maternity being relocated to Antrim or ensuring Daisy Hill and SWAH are able to offer a better service than they currently are.  If they cant wrap a tricolour or union jack around it they don't give a f@@k.

What's the Irish language got to do with anything?

I think his point is that it's not one bit important in the grand scheme of things, has been a major issue that's been heavily focused on but whether it was implemented or not really doesn't positively impact the country as a whole in real terms.

Could not have put it better myself nrico.

Nothing against the Irish Language but access to a decent healthcare service will always be a greater benefit, and I would like to think more important for the majority of people, than if the local road signs are in Irish or not.

Nothing against the Irish language BUT.....

You can't pick and choose things.  Health is the most important thing imo also but it doesn't work like that.

Where do you stop?

Don't fund cricket because it not that popular.

Don't fill potholes in Fermanagh because that's where the least people in the north live.

Where do you stop and who decides?

Funny you pick out the Irish language when you could pick out a 100 other things.

The Irish language has been discriminated against for hundreds of years.  More recently by the unionist regime in the north.