Naomi Long, who got a softsoaping from Ms. Perry on the 6-1, is despite her platform of progressive liberalism, a strict Presbyterian who resigned from the board of her church in opposition to same-sex rights.
Is it clearly not the case though?
I was watching BBC Norn Iron earlier and the point was made that the DUP campaigned on the Protocol platform and that people voted for them clearly knowing their position (No, No, Never)
Similar to those who moan about abstentionism from Westminster when people vote for SF knowing that this is the gig.
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Are you sure that’s true? I thought she contemplated resigning because she supports same-sex rights?
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So just Jim and his buddy providing an opposition of 2 to the government in a 90 seat assembly.
I’m not so sure of that. The fact of the matter is that the minority parties won’t have enough seats or votes to be entitled to seats on the executive. Sinn Féin, the DUP and the Alliance will fill the ministerial and executive roles while the Stoops, UUP, TUV and any others will, in effect, be the opposition.
Jim with his possible 2 seats will have to yield to the SDLPas leaders of the opposition.
That’s the general jist of it as far as I know but I’m sure an expert will provide further clarification.
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I think so. Based purely on the combined total of the DUP & TUV vote being less than 30%. I know they’ll argue they stand for other things too, but imnvho a vote for them was essentially endorsing the view that this Irish Sea border/NI Protocol stuff is the key issue. Other parties just want to get on with things.
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You’d have an awful job feeding that pony.
Fair play to her, giving DUP nuts a run at least.
Robin Swann UUP is current min for health or was. They all have lovely bottoms up there. There’s a ministry for every party that wants one.
One thing Jim is spot on about is that Stormont is a farce without an opposition
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Looks like a record number of voters in fact. A 7% increase in the number of voters since the last election - just a larger electoral register (and some poor maths from the polling stations) made the turnout figures seem low.
This is a nice headline to read
(And a great Torygraph front page overall with a dig at Labour, a promotion of the royals, and I’m sure a very measured piece on the “trans wars” - a debate which has just been crying out for more opinion pieces from professional scaremongerers).
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The only good thing in that rag are Matt’s cartoons.
Matt is a brilliant cartoonist.
Christ, they even had a go at dogs for fucks sake.
Ffs
Cracker
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Sinn Féin officially the largest party now anyway.
I’d have plenty of issues with some of their manoeuvrings but they’ve done an incredible job over the last 20/25 years politically. To get to a position of dominance in the six counties and managing to make themselves into a huge force in the twenty six at the same time is a brilliant achievement.
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Helped by absolutely shite opposition on either side of the border but you make your own luck too.
Credit where it’s due nonetheless. Interesting times ahead.
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The thought process is facilitating to see
PETER HITCHENS: Part of the UK will soon be ruled by Dublin
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