I was heartened to read Andy Burnham’s article in today’s News Letter. The Labour leadership contender has received the support of the local Labour Party in his leadership campaign.
It is noteworthy, in his article, that he holds out hope that the Labour Party may, ultimately, contest elections here. However, more interestingly, he makes clear that no deal with a local sectarian party is on the cards. Hardly surprisingly, he takes a dim view of the Conservative Party’s relationship with the UUP…
“What I believe is dangerous, however, is for one party to link up with a mainstream UK party, as the Ulster Unionists did with the Tories at the last election.
“That is why, as Labour leader, I would take a different approach.
“I would trust our members here to decide whether to put forward candidates for election, although I would always expect such a decision to be sensitive to the politics of Northern Ireland.”
It’s just a pity the Conservative Party doesn’t adopt a similar stance. I gather that while local Conservatives had resolved to contest the Assembly elections (against the UUP and other, local, sectarian parties) – CCHQ has taken a different view. I understand that Andrew Feldman (Co-Chairman of the Party) has written to Sir Reg Empey assuring him that Conservatives will not be contesting Assembly election against UUP candidates. However, according to my sources, the author of Feldman’s letter was none other than Owen Paterson’s “Chief of Staff” and “Irish politics expert” Jonathan Caine.
Therefore, while Andy Burnham is assuring his local members that they can decide where and when to run elections here, a superannuated, £70k-a-year, ‘special adviser’ is essentially taking all decisions on behalf of local Conservatives – and ignoring their natural desire to run against the rudderless UUP. Bizarre.
Just a waste of time and money,the future of the six counties lies with the rest of ireland.a few years ago they got thier hands on three [counties]it won’t be that long before they get another three,face up to it.the future lies within the island of ireland not across the water…….
What past are you living in? Do you really think a majority in the south would vote for a united ireland? get real!
Thanks for highlighting this issue Jeff.
If the NI conservatives are not going to have another UCUNF pact or be allowed to contest the local and assembly elections in 2011 what is to happen to Ian Parsley?
At present he is a Conservative local councillor in ND and would certainly be a candidate for next May’s local & assembly elections.
Will he deflect again to the UUP or go independent so he can stand for election next year?
I suppose he’ll defect. Another Party for his collection.
I share the Editors view about Johnathan Caine, in my opinion,he ia a self opinionated. arrogant political thug. It would appear that he has entered into an unholy pact with the non democratic so called senior hierarchy of the UUP who ignore their own officer teams and executives. This cabal would ideally like to have an unanswerable Conservative franchise for Northern Ireland dominated by unreconstructed Orange adherents with the more than lacklustre Tom Elliot as their puppet leader. They have a paranoid fear of local Conservatives.this cabal people appear in to want to drag themselves back to 1968; whilst hoovering up Conservative locally raised and national funds so far in excess of £300,000. Where does Cane stand? in fact where does Owen Paterson stand? Charles Moore’ who I normally respect and admire wrote the most stupid article about “the fearless brave Paterson, a veritable NI version of Zorro in the 24th July edition of the Spectator. In this weeks edition in his letter titled “Colourful Mo” Adrian Hilton has put Charles Moore’s contribution into perspective; possibly the result of lavish hospitality of British taxpayers hospitality whilst a guest at Government House.
Ever since Paterson brought back Caine as his chief of staff prior to the elections local Conservatives have been marginalised and every concession possible given the UUP, which lead to total political annihilation by the DUP.Is this a ploy for so called Unionist Unity, dreamt up in Schomberg House and possibly consummate with Owen and Caine at Hatfield House. It would appear that the naive Paterson has been taken in by Caine and his Orange friends in the cabal.
Only an Irishman can sell a horse five times to the same man and only an Englishman would be fool enough to buy it five times.
you are right to be alarmed at the feldman letter jeff but take some comfort from these thoughts. He said say it was dependent on where the UUP go next and every indication is they are moving away from the Conservatives. Secondly, don’t underestimate Irwin Armstrong and the strength of feeling that we will not go away! It’s a disgrace that equal citizenship in this part of the United Kingdom is being made conditional now and it’s a call to war
UCUNF is as dead as Monty Python’s parrot
02 August 2010 By ALEX KANE
Last week Ian Parsley announced: “If I were asked to run under the Ulster Unionist banner (in the 2011 Assembly elections) I would consider it if that is what the Conservative Party wanted and were minded to do. However, I would only do it if I could remain part of the Conservative Party.”
https://mail.ntlworld.com/mail/?AuthEventSource=SSO&zx=sbn6oqrwg1al#inbox/12a29b25dd63c3a3
Alex kanes article is worth reading. He made a very valued point. Ian Parsley didn’t even challenge the Feldman letter but was quite willing to forward himself as a studge for the UUP. The man is totally career motivated and without principle. Everything is for the furtherance of Ian Parsley.
The local Conservatives need people of principle who will not compromise the right to equal citizenship and the right to vote for the party that governs
Clarion a good plumber switches off leaking mouth pieces. This particular showerhead which is controlled by the fearless Stormont Plumber and his incompetent labourer has been used as a conduit to test new prototypes and hithertoo to douse fires emanating from Orange Temples and Hertford stately homes. He is in bed with one of the Soupman’s Chefs and I fear is only driven by sheer naked ambition. Beware of cowboy plumbers and their clients.
I seem to be mistaken for you on mr parsleys website jeff!
I am intrigued by the news in the Telegragh today that he will stand regardless.
Quite a turnaround!
‘I am intrigued by the news in the Telegragh today that he will stand regardless. Quite a turnaround!’
Indeed Clarion, but what is the truth, Ian Parsley’s statement to the media, or the Conservative party’s spokeperson in England?
According to de haunt assembly rules a joint election pact like (UCUNF in the Westminster election) is not possible.
What will NI Conservatives do in 2011 local & assembly elections?
Will they select candidates and oppose all other parties including the UUP disobeying Conservative higher ups in England, or will they obey their superiors and stand down from this election altogether?
Surely the NI Conservatives are not allowing this loose canon Ian Parsley to make his own rules up as he goes along can they?
I gather from most of the local Conservatives who have contacted me that the Conservatives will contest the Assembly elections against the UUP and intend to ignore CCHQ’s absurd position.
Central Office do have the veto to stop candidates standing I believe.
But I think closer inspection of this letter suggests that it was probably an olive branch to the new prospective leader of the UUP.
Your suggestion Jeff, and the widely held belief that Caine wrote this letter, would tie in with that belief.
Its a last ditch attempt to keep them onboard. I’m convinced seats at Westminster is their motivating goal and seats at Assembly and Council level are secondary considerations.
Parsleys position is totally unclear and if you ask him questions on his blog he won’t give clear answers.
Literally one day on the blog you can read one thing, and the next day read something else of what he has said to the Belfast Telegragh. It’s hard not to conclude that its opportunism. The local Conservatives need people of principle.
Quite honestly I think Conservatives here have more in common with Alliance and should be talking to them and not the UUP. The UUP is unreformable and will never give up their desire to outdo the DUP and regain their former supremacy. Their chief desire is to take votes from the DUP and will never shed their sectarian skin in the process of forever trying to do that.
Clarion, I have a degree of sympathy for your view that a relationship with Alliance might be preferable for many Conservatives. If enough joined it might force Alliance to define itself more accurately.
There is a small body of opinion in the NI Conservatives that feel that being neutral on the Union is a positive thing and would attract more Catholics. Alliance say nothing at all on their website about their policy on it.
Incidently it’s worth asking Ian Parsley on his blog questions like, do the people of North Down have the right to vote Conservative at every election. Asking him twice I got no answer. Anyone else want to have a go?
Clarion, he blocks me on his blog so I can’t help. I sense he is confused, however.
It seems to me that some Conservatives are confusing “equal” citizenship with “equivalent” citizenship in relation to the right to vote conservative.
As I have argued previously, there is more than one way for a “Mainland” political party to participate in the politics in Northern Ireland. Having the National Political parties fielding candidates in all elections is one way of doing it but equal citizenship, as we understand it, can also be achieved by local parties being in an alliance with their counterpart Great Britain party provided that those allied parties have similar political ideology.
In my opinion, the UUP and the Conservatives do not have a similar ideology. They never will have, so long as the UUP’s dominant political ideology is unionism and they dont embrace centre-right ideology or any form of conservativism.
It is possible for a non-designated centre-right party to deliver equal citizenship in alliance with the Conservative Party. In my submission, this is the only way of achieving that objective on the basis of non-sectarian politics.
Taking my poi