Exactly what he did to Trimble. I think he had ambitions to oust Trimble and be UUP leader but then saw that the DUP were the rising force so jumped. He’s an uneducated fckr but cunning.
It’d be a bit of a humiliation for Donaldson to lose this contest, would it not? He has more to lose than Pootsy, I think. I imagine that losing it might hasten his departure from party politics. He’d probably fuck off to the House of Lords. I’d say he has more than enough pull to get a place there. Actually maybe that’s what he wants to happen.
Pootsie is insisting Jim Wells gets a vote in the contest. He hasn’t had the whip a few years. It could go to court over it apparently. Jim is firmly in Edwins corner. Expert today reckoned the MPs will break 5-3 Sir Jeffrey and the mlas slightly for Poots. Jim’s vote could be the decider
Pootsie is narrowly the fav with Paddy Power
I assume this will get dirty
Pootsys people are calling Donaldson continuity Arlene. A real dig using the first term and the connotations up there
Jeffrey has strong Fine Gael links.
He, along with Kneel Richmond, are pushing for Ireland to rejoin the Commonwealth.
Never saw that before
Haven’t seen a huge amount of Geoff since.
My mother was caught out living in England in the 70s when she played eeny meeny miney mo catch a n***** by the toe with a West Indian colleague over which mug of tea she wanted.
5/5/81
1:17 AM. 40 years to the minute that Bobby Sands passed
Grand lookin girl
Let’s hope Poots wins…
There are probably advantages to Poots getting it all right.
- Trimble was the hardline candidate in the UUP when he ran against John Taylor and Ken MaGinnis for the leadership. He was triumphalist on Gervaghy Road preceding his election and all the rhetoric around his campaign was about making the UUP more hardline (and building one single unionist party). Trimble ended up enraging large sections of the UUP because he was seen as a moderate for signing up to the GFA.
- Paisley in latter years as First Minister was a moderate too. The only real defection during his time was Jim Allister. All the rest of his party remained.
If Donaldson is elected he will have to try and win over the Free Presbyterian wing. His daughter attended a pro choice march in Dublin which I find intriguing and might not do him any favours. If Poots is elected he might be a bit more pragmatic. All in all give me a DUP election campaign over a Dublin by election any day. Hope it gets messy.
You’re a bit slow on the uptake - I understand all that- it still doesnt change the fact that if you’re born on the island of Ireland you’re Irish, whether it be Northern, British or southern/Republic… the Island is called IRELAND
A middle aged man living in Cork trying to put young Northern Irish people in an Ireland box.
They are rejecting your false choices of Irish or British.
I agree with the idea that Poots is preferable to Donaldson.
As with Paisley, when he was put in the position, it was shit or get off the po(o)t(s). I genuinely believe that no sizeable amount of people want his firebrand politics which will force him towards the middle ground.
Donaldson on the other hand will make a few token visits to the 26 counties while in the background be playing to the hardliners all the time.
I’m not putting them anywhere - their cultural or social identities are their own business… but you cant be born on the Island of Ireland and not be Irish — anything after that, whether it be northern, British, west European, whatever - that’s your own business. The bit we have in common is the Irish part … you struggle to get your head around that very simple point - there’s simply no escaping Ireland and being Irish if you’re born on this Island… you seem to be locked into Irish meaning green and southern - that’s not what i’m saying in the slightest you slow bastard - it’s the bit we all share by virtue of being born in Ireland and it’s the bit we can build on.
They’ve chosen to define themselves as Northern Irish and not Irish. You should respect and accept that.
You cant be Northern Irish without being Irish - it’s there in the name.