The DUP thread

[BigGreenField]

Constituency office can get something sorted for you, they aren't going to be passing legislation there or tackling any of the big issues that are outstanding. Not that they are in Stormont either

Is that not what councillors are for?

The fact that you need an MLA or councilor to get something sorted for you is a sign of a dysfunctional political system. If there is something that some public service is supposed to provided for me then I should be able to get it resolved with them, without having to get a politician involved.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clientelism

Too many base level services require support to get access or provision.

[Silver hill]

Its a crazy set up:

In no particular order

Get the link between the Westlink and the M2 at Nelson street done
Get the road sorted out in Tyrone
Get Casement built in some fashion
Improve waiting times in hospitals (its horrendous)
Housing
and so on, stop talking about talking and start doing, is it any wonder the place is where its at

Its a crazy set up:

In no particular order

Get the link between the Westlink and the M2 at Nelson street done
Get the road sorted out in Tyrone
Get Casement built in some fashion
Improve waiting times in hospitals (its horrendous)
Housing
and so on, stop talking about talking and start doing, is it any wonder the place is where its at

Get the Algae in Lough Neagh sorted as well. A start would be to cancel Edwin poots crazy limit of 15% max fine for farmers who are repeat offenders.
Big boy politics needed here now but neither DUP or SF are prepared to do it as they are not popular and perceived as potential vote losing.
Same with water charges. We should all pay for our water here. Massive under investment over the decades is now coming back to bite us all with no housing allowed in most towns due to the sewerage system being at capacity.
50% of new cars purchased here are DLA...if that doesn't sum up how dysfunctional this place is then I don't know what is. A serious look under the bonnet there is required.
A nominal £2 charge for a prescription would also eliminate unnecessary doctor and a&e visits.
But again, none of these would be introduced as there would be too much of a backlash. We want everything for nothing in this place.

[RedHand88]

Prescription charges don't even raise that much. I can't mind the exact figure but it's a few million at most. Drop in the ocean of the health budget. But it is political suicide for any party to bring it back so its never going to happen.

[LC]

Its a crazy set up:

In no particular order

Get the link between the Westlink and the M2 at Nelson street done
Get the road sorted out in Tyrone
Get Casement built in some fashion
Improve waiting times in hospitals (its horrendous)
Housing
and so on, stop talking about talking and start doing, is it any wonder the place is where its at

Its a crazy set up:

In no particular order

Get the link between the Westlink and the M2 at Nelson street done
Get the road sorted out in Tyrone
Get Casement built in some fashion
Improve waiting times in hospitals (its horrendous)
Housing
and so on, stop talking about talking and start doing, is it any wonder the place is where its at

Get the Algae in Lough Neagh sorted as well. A start would be to cancel Edwin poots crazy limit of 15% max fine for farmers who are repeat offenders.
Big boy politics needed here now but neither DUP or SF are prepared to do it as they are not popular and perceived as potential vote losing.
Same with water charges. We should all pay for our water here. Massive under investment over the decades is now coming back to bite us all with no housing allowed in most towns due to the sewerage system being at capacity.
50% of new cars purchased here are DLA...if that doesn't sum up how dysfunctional this place is then I don't know what is. A serious look under the bonnet there is required.
A nominal £2 charge for a prescription would also eliminate unnecessary doctor and a&e visits.
But again, none of these would be introduced as there would be too much of a backlash. We want everything for nothing in this place.

I would not be surprised that in certain parts of Belfast and Derry is where you find most of the DLA wagons, indeed I think the late Gerry Anderson referred to it as the Derry Living Allowance.  Drive through these same places the retail mix is primarily fast food takeouts, off licenses and pharmacists, a vicious cycle. 

[Tony Baloney]

Its a crazy set up:

In no particular order

Get the link between the Westlink and the M2 at Nelson street done
Get the road sorted out in Tyrone
Get Casement built in some fashion
Improve waiting times in hospitals (its horrendous)
Housing
and so on, stop talking about talking and start doing, is it any wonder the place is where its at

Its a crazy set up:

In no particular order

Get the link between the Westlink and the M2 at Nelson street done
Get the road sorted out in Tyrone
Get Casement built in some fashion
Improve waiting times in hospitals (its horrendous)
Housing
and so on, stop talking about talking and start doing, is it any wonder the place is where its at

Get the Algae in Lough Neagh sorted as well. A start would be to cancel Edwin poots crazy limit of 15% max fine for farmers who are repeat offenders.
Big boy politics needed here now but neither DUP or SF are prepared to do it as they are not popular and perceived as potential vote losing.
Same with water charges. We should all pay for our water here. Massive under investment over the decades is now coming back to bite us all with no housing allowed in most towns due to the sewerage system being at capacity.
50% of new cars purchased here are DLA...if that doesn't sum up how dysfunctional this place is then I don't know what is. A serious look under the bonnet there is required.
A nominal £2 charge for a prescription would also eliminate unnecessary doctor and a&e visits.
But again, none of these would be introduced as there would be too much of a backlash. We want everything for nothing in this place.

I would not be surprised that in certain parts of Belfast and Derry is where you find most of the DLA wagons, indeed I think the late Gerry Anderson referred to it as the Derry Living Allowance.  Drive through these same places the retail mix is primarily fast food takeouts, off licenses and pharmacists, a vicious cycle.

It was the Derry Liquor Allowance when I was growing up.

[BigGreenField]

Its a crazy set up:

In no particular order

Get the link between the Westlink and the M2 at Nelson street done
Get the road sorted out in Tyrone
Get Casement built in some fashion
Improve waiting times in hospitals (its horrendous)
Housing
and so on, stop talking about talking and start doing, is it any wonder the place is where its at

Its a crazy set up:

In no particular order

Get the link between the Westlink and the M2 at Nelson street done
Get the road sorted out in Tyrone
Get Casement built in some fashion
Improve waiting times in hospitals (its horrendous)
Housing
and so on, stop talking about talking and start doing, is it any wonder the place is where its at

Get the Algae in Lough Neagh sorted as well. A start would be to cancel Edwin poots crazy limit of 15% max fine for farmers who are repeat offenders.
Big boy politics needed here now but neither DUP or SF are prepared to do it as they are not popular and perceived as potential vote losing.
Same with water charges. We should all pay for our water here. Massive under investment over the decades is now coming back to bite us all with no housing allowed in most towns due to the sewerage system being at capacity.
50% of new cars purchased here are DLA...if that doesn't sum up how dysfunctional this place is then I don't know what is. A serious look under the bonnet there is required.
A nominal £2 charge for a prescription would also eliminate unnecessary doctor and a&e visits.
But again, none of these would be introduced as there would be too much of a backlash. We want everything for nothing in this place.

I would not be surprised that in certain parts of Belfast and Derry is where you find most of the DLA wagons, indeed I think the late Gerry Anderson referred to it as the Derry Living Allowance.  Drive through these same places the retail mix is primarily fast food takeouts, off licenses and pharmacists, a vicious cycle.

Certainly describes Lisburn Road and Ballyhackamore alright.

35% of houses in Belfast don't have a car or van, most of those in perceived less affluent neighbourhoods.

Not in favour of prescription charges, I am in favour of a refundable charge for booking a gp appointment, turn up or get charged.

Remove the cap on household rates - millionaires getting subsidies, tax derelict buildings, do something with your buildings or donate it to the state.

The difficult issue of the worried well (the folk who walk out of one gp appointment and immediately book another one for a month later just in case) needs addressed.

Leave the west link alone (well maybe close some of the slip roads) will never be enough roads, volume of cars and vans has gone up 400% in 40 years. All funding and schemes need to be on making it easier to get out of the car on public transport or goods by rail - not by road.

Belfast and Derry need a congestion charge
on anything over a 1.2L engine air quality is brutal and it's city folk breathing it with the long term health costs.

Get rid of the transfer test, inflicting misery on wains in a rigged system, political cowardice,  avoid postcode school selection by requiring schools to have a spread of intake, publish school results and ensure schools are not excluding folk at 16 to juice the results.


Stop asking politicians what they are going to do - ask them what they have done, most have a pretty short list of achievements.

[LC]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ckgdykn0zrgo

NI nepotism at its very best it would seem in the Education Authority:

Chief Executive - Husband of the Deputy FM

Chairperson of the Board - Mervyn Storey (DUP)

Board Member - Peter Weir (DUP)

What is next I wonder, senior positions for Ian Og and that clown Nelson McCausland.

[gallsman]

Certainly describes Lisburn Road and Ballyhackamore alright.

You seem to be mixing up fast food outlets with coffee shops.

For about ten years, every time I went home, the Lisburn Road was like the scene in the Simpsons where all the stores in the mall turn into a Starbucks. New coffee shop in every block etc., and most of them not very good ones. Seems to have plateaued a bit.

[Last Man]

Its a crazy set up:

In no particular order

Get the link between the Westlink and the M2 at Nelson street done
Get the road sorted out in Tyrone
Get Casement built in some fashion
Improve waiting times in hospitals (its horrendous)
Housing
and so on, stop talking about talking and start doing, is it any wonder the place is where its at

Its a crazy set up:

In no particular order

Get the link between the Westlink and the M2 at Nelson street done
Get the road sorted out in Tyrone
Get Casement built in some fashion
Improve waiting times in hospitals (its horrendous)
Housing
and so on, stop talking about talking and start doing, is it any wonder the place is where its at

Get the Algae in Lough Neagh sorted as well. A start would be to cancel Edwin poots crazy limit of 15% max fine for farmers who are repeat offenders.
Big boy politics needed here now but neither DUP or SF are prepared to do it as they are not popular and perceived as potential vote losing.
Same with water charges. We should all pay for our water here. Massive under investment over the decades is now coming back to bite us all with no housing allowed in most towns due to the sewerage system being at capacity.
50% of new cars purchased here are DLA...if that doesn't sum up how dysfunctional this place is then I don't know what is. A serious look under the bonnet there is required.
A nominal £2 charge for a prescription would also eliminate unnecessary doctor and a&e visits.
But again, none of these would be introduced as there would be too much of a backlash. We want everything for nothing in this place.

I would not be surprised that in certain parts of Belfast and Derry is where you find most of the DLA wagons, indeed I think the late Gerry Anderson referred to it as the Derry Living Allowance.  Drive through these same places the retail mix is primarily fast food takeouts, off licenses and pharmacists, a vicious cycle.

Certainly describes Lisburn Road and Ballyhackamore alright.

35% of houses in Belfast don't have a car or van, most of those in perceived less affluent neighbourhoods.

Not in favour of prescription charges, I am in favour of a refundable charge for booking a gp appointment, turn up or get charged. I am in favour of prescription charges, people take the piss with free stuff, homes are full of unused drug presciptions on one hand and too many are over medicated on the other.

Remove the cap on household rates - millionaires getting subsidies, tax derelict buildings, do something with your buildings or donate it to the state. +1

The difficult issue of the worried well (the folk who walk out of one gp appointment and immediately book another one for a month later just in case) needs addressed.Public health education is a clown show, it is invariably based around a fear narrative so this is the response.

Leave the west link alone (well maybe close some of the slip roads) will never be enough roads, volume of cars and vans has gone up 400% in 40 years. All funding and schemes need to be on making it easier to get out of the car on public transport or goods by rail - not by road. Big investment in a user friendly, cost friendly mass transport system is the only thing that will take vehicles off the road. Building more bigger roads will only result in more vehicles, look at the M50. 

Belfast and Derry need a congestion charge
on anything over a 1.2L engine air quality is brutal and it's city folk breathing it with the long term health costs. Fix public transport first.

Get rid of the transfer test, inflicting misery on wains in a rigged system, political cowardice,  avoid postcode school selection by requiring schools to have a spread of intake, publish school results and ensure schools are not excluding folk at 16 to juice the results. Think there has to be some sort of process to help guide kids to the right school, I would outlaw coaching, pushy parents have to be more realistic. The whole system is a meat grinder where competition for funding takes precedence over the appropriate education of our children.


Stop asking politicians what they are going to do - ask them what they have done, most have a pretty short list of achievements. +1

[6th sam]

I think the design of casement needs to be re-visited with a fresh business plan around opportunities and value for money. A marquee stadium and concert venue for the North, bringing significant investment into West Belfast would be some statement .

They should employ whoever is doing the new IFA centre. According to bbcni website they're building a state of the art , centre of excellence , 50 acre green field site , 5 pitches , 1 indoors, with spectator , meeting and medical facilities , all for £8-10 million. Must be a different contractor doing that refurbishment of the school pitch  in Derry for £710000, though I see that's not a problem as the EA don't need to apply to themselves for that money🙈.
The BBC also took the opportunity to flag up the estimate of £450m for Casement to meet UEFA specification!
Call me  paranoid 🙈🤔

[samuel maguire]

Its a crazy set up:

In no particular order

Get the link between the Westlink and the M2 at Nelson street done
Get the road sorted out in Tyrone
Get Casement built in some fashion
Improve waiting times in hospitals (its horrendous)
Housing
and so on, stop talking about talking and start doing, is it any wonder the place is where its at

Its a crazy set up:

In no particular order

Get the link between the Westlink and the M2 at Nelson street done
Get the road sorted out in Tyrone
Get Casement built in some fashion
Improve waiting times in hospitals (its horrendous)
Housing
and so on, stop talking about talking and start doing, is it any wonder the place is where its at

Get the Algae in Lough Neagh sorted as well. A start would be to cancel Edwin poots crazy limit of 15% max fine for farmers who are repeat offenders.
Big boy politics needed here now but neither DUP or SF are prepared to do it as they are not popular and perceived as potential vote losing.
Same with water charges. We should all pay for our water here. Massive under investment over the decades is now coming back to bite us all with no housing allowed in most towns due to the sewerage system being at capacity.
50% of new cars purchased here are DLA...if that doesn't sum up how dysfunctional this place is then I don't know what is. A serious look under the bonnet there is required.
A nominal £2 charge for a prescription would also eliminate unnecessary doctor and a&e visits.
But again, none of these would be introduced as there would be too much of a backlash. We want everything for nothing in this place.

I would not be surprised that in certain parts of Belfast and Derry is where you find most of the DLA wagons, indeed I think the late Gerry Anderson referred to it as the Derry Living Allowance.  Drive through these same places the retail mix is primarily fast food takeouts, off licenses and pharmacists, a vicious cycle.

Certainly describes Lisburn Road and Ballyhackamore alright.

35% of houses in Belfast don't have a car or van, most of those in perceived less affluent neighbourhoods.

Not in favour of prescription charges, I am in favour of a refundable charge for booking a gp appointment, turn up or get charged.

Remove the cap on household rates - millionaires getting subsidies, tax derelict buildings, do something with your buildings or donate it to the state.

The difficult issue of the worried well (the folk who walk out of one gp appointment and immediately book another one for a month later just in case) needs addressed.

Leave the west link alone (well maybe close some of the slip roads) will never be enough roads, volume of cars and vans has gone up 400% in 40 years. All funding and schemes need to be on making it easier to get out of the car on public transport or goods by rail - not by road.

Belfast and Derry need a congestion charge
on anything over a 1.2L engine air quality is brutal and it's city folk breathing it with the long term health costs.

Get rid of the transfer test, inflicting misery on wains in a rigged system, political cowardice,  avoid postcode school selection by requiring schools to have a spread of intake, publish school results and ensure schools are not excluding folk at 16 to juice the results.


Stop asking politicians what they are going to do - ask them what they have done, most have a pretty short list of achievements.

Serious question, what is wrong with the transfer test?

[Milltown Row2]

No issues from my experience with my kids, they did it, no tuition, two passed one didn't and there wasn't any issues for them going forward in different level of schools, my only concern for me was finding a school where I live for my daughters had they not passed, as the local secondary schools are very poor and in the local loyalist estate, so sending them there was not option, my lad lived with his mom so he went his local school with his friends and enjoy it, ish!

Until you show me a local school that has a grading system in place and that caters for all levels and is not made up of one crowd over the other then I'll buy into that, thankfully I'm past worrying about schools for the kids.

[Rossfan]

I see ye now have a Programme for Governnent.
A new golden age begins......

[Tony Baloney]

I see ye now have a Programme for Governnent.
A new golden age begins......

Baby steps. Check progress every 5 years...

[LC]

I see ye now have a Programme for Governnent.
A new golden age begins......

Baby steps. Check progress every 5 years...

Has Stormont ever went 5 years without collapsing?