It Must be Marching Season

[DaleCooper]

Foolish of Michelle ONeill to be encouraging people to block street. SF used to be shrewder.

McKenna is right there! Let him do the guldering

[AustinPowers]

Foolish of Michelle ONeill to be encouraging people to block street. SF used to be shrewder.

McKenna is right there! Let him do the guldering

Not a great time for using  Ulster-Scots words 

[trileacman]

How badly have Unionism shot themselves in the foot over this?

If you can read the future then I'd like to know who wins next years AI. Impossible to say where the dust settles after all this. Politically it's a big win for the DUP who can now move on from the Robinson scandal having taken it out of the headlines and replaced it with this. It also returns them to the front and centre of the culture war 12 months out from an election where they were under big pressure from the TUV and UUP. It's a political godsend for them.

Not to mention it's an excellent way of scaring a few more pound out of the British exchequer who have so far resisted calls by Stormont to cover the gaping hole in the provinces finances. I do suspect Byrant will be a lot more tactile the next time the budget discussion come in to Hillsborough.

[tyroneman]

Is there any significance in MoN asking people to stay till Midnight?

Is there a time limit on the parade?

[p3427977]

How badly have Unionism shot themselves in the foot over this?

If you can read the future then I'd like to know who wins next years AI. Impossible to say where the dust settles after all this. Politically it's a big win for the DUP who can now move on from the Robinson scandal having taken it out of the headlines and replaced it with this. It also returns them to the front and centre of the culture war 12 months out from an election where they were under big pressure from the TUV and UUP. It's a political godsend for them.

Not to mention it's an excellent way of scaring a few more pound out of the British exchequer who have so far resisted calls by Stormont to cover the gaping hole in the provinces finances. I do suspect Byrant will be a lot more tactile the next time the budget discussion come in to Hillsborough.

I think if they don't get down the road the DUP will have to collapse the Executive. There won't be anymore budget talks. We'll hardly notice the difference as well.

I don't agree it's politically a win for the DUP. Time will tell.

[tyroneman]

Surely it can only be a political win for DUP in terms of potentially reclaiming UUP and TUV votes.

Can't see it encouraging anyone not already of that political persuasion or any moderate small u unionists back from Alliance

[p3427977]

Surely it can only be a political win for DUP in terms of potentially reclaiming UUP and TUV votes.

Can't see it encouraging anyone not already of that political persuasion or any moderate small u unionists back from Alliance

Could push some voters away. There will definitely be unionists out there not happy with this. The TUV have been very quiet all today. I have SF have come out well.

[tyroneman]

Can't lose for SF it helps reduce next elections to Green v Orange as the main issue and puts the failures of Stormont to one side....

[bennydorano]

Stepping outside the echo chamber and having a look around the odd time helps.  There's very little winning going on anywhere.

[Wildweasel74]

Its against the law to fly flags of Lamposts especially banned organisations. Don't see the Psni enforce the rule of law and take these down.

[p3427977]

Its against the law to fly flags of Lamposts especially banned orgainsations. Don't see the Psni enforce the rule of law and take these down.

Didn't want the PSNI to interfere with the  bonfire and asbestos.

Stepping outside the echo chamber and having a look around the odd time helps.  There's very little winning going on anywhere.

Fair

[trileacman]

Surely it can only be a political win for DUP in terms of potentially reclaiming UUP and TUV votes.

Can't see it encouraging anyone not already of that political persuasion or any moderate small u unionists back from Alliance

Without any doubt it has inflamed attitudes and divided NI once again into us-uns and them-uns. Whatever way you look at it it encourages division and will ultimately drive moderates away from alliance, SDLP and the UUP.

[David McKeown]

Is there any significance in MoN asking people to stay till Midnight?

Is there a time limit on the parade?

There's a theory going round that it would require a new application for a different day. That's not my reading of the legislation or the relevant case law. That may or may not be why MON was asking people to stay to midnight.

[From the Bunker]

MON should have stayed away and left it to locals to represent themselves. We all know whose side she is on - but she has lost credibility selling herself as a First Minister for all.
As said here earlier the DUP have got their siege mentality vote back from this and it's a perfect distraction from the Robinson disgrace.

Meanwhile the rest of the world (we just probably Ireland and the UK) looks and shrugs its shoulders at the stupidity of the situation.

[trileacman]

How badly have Unionism shot themselves in the foot over this?

If you can read the future then I'd like to know who wins next years AI. Impossible to say where the dust settles after all this. Politically it's a big win for the DUP who can now move on from the Robinson scandal having taken it out of the headlines and replaced it with this. It also returns them to the front and centre of the culture war 12 months out from an election where they were under big pressure from the TUV and UUP. It's a political godsend for them.

Not to mention it's an excellent way of scaring a few more pound out of the British exchequer who have so far resisted calls by Stormont to cover the gaping hole in the provinces finances. I do suspect Byrant will be a lot more tactile the next time the budget discussion come in to Hillsborough.

I think if they don't get down the road the DUP will have to collapse the Executive. There won't be anymore budget talks. We'll hardly notice the difference as well.

I don't agree it's politically a win for the DUP. Time will tell.

They can collapse the executive but it's a big, big gamble. They're not politically dominant on the Unionist side in the way they used to be. They'd be handing the administration of NI over to a left wing Labour government who are desperate to rebuild bridges with EU allies. There's a risk that if they collapse it the UK could look for Dublin to play a much bigger political role in NI. Likewise they no longer hold the majority of MP seats. Without PR elections, nationalists would hold the political majority in NI.

Also they no longer get paid if they're not in Stormont and unlike the last time, London does not have the money to bribe them back in to office.

The bean counters at the exchequer in No.11 will be ecstatic if stormont falls and they get a free hand to push through all the budgets cuts they are looking for. 

I don't think any NI party will collapse stormont whilst the current economic conditions prevail.