I made clear in an earlier post – following the botched “relaunch” of the local Conservatives – that there is the need for the local Conservatives to declare UDI. There are fewer than ever reasons to attempt to forge a relationship with a central Party organisation when, in fact, that Party organisation is both inefficient and rudderless.
The Cameron Conservatives are merely a liberal, posh and ideologically bereft faction of the Westminster Party. Lord Ashcroft, with his growing digital media empire, is firing on all cylinders to undermine Cameron and the coalition government. Meanwhile the Libs are hardly able to disguise their loathing of their Conservative partners. The Party is splitting and coalition is splitting with it.
The Conservative Party under Cameron has lost all sense of what it stands for – it has no ideological vision, never mind brand coherency. Despite its protestations that it believes in the Union, it has no idea how to maintain its own party union – never mind the Union of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The Party is powerless in Scotland, supine in Northern Ireland and irrelevant in much of Northern England. Oh and it has no clear idea how to reduce the deficit and restore growth.
Which begs the question why the NI Conservatives are so keen to align themselves with such a Party when, locally, electorally, there is so much to be gained from ploughing a new furrow. Northern Ireland needs a new Centre-Right but socially liberal Party. It needs to appeal to a naturally right-of-centre electorate. Indeed, the electorate is waiting for such a centre-ground to be filled. The SDLP is pointless. The UUP is walking dead. The DUP and Sinn Fein are discredited political dead-wood Nats. Alliance is nice but dim.
What do you think?
You make good points Jeff but wouldn’t the NI Tories believe that probably their biggest reason to exist would be to tap in to the mainstream, national politics, a seat at the cabinet and all that. It is their distinguishing feature if you like. Moving them away from that would be easy?
It seems to me that they have been treated very badly by London in the past, and they might have difficulty trusting them in the future and it might be an option but I’d be surprised if very many were to support you idea.
Having said that, if they got shafted again over Nicholson, and that’s a scenario I could see happening, they may have no chose.
For the moment they should be considering semi-UDI and getting more control over decision making.
Clare, yes I kind’ve agree with you. However, time has moved on and more power has been devolved since the days of the CEC. So ideologically, we need a centre-right Party. The seat at the cabinet table argument means less when we have our own Executive. Plus an independent NI based party could still take the whip at Westminster. The shafting instances have been too numerous I’m afraid. CCHQ can’t be trusted.
I don’t feel myself able to vote in your poll Jeff because the new arrangement of a party with it’s own board instinctively means it is self governing and not governed by CCHQ.
And wouldn’t it be ironic at just the time that Labour were about to make a big investment in NI (check out NI Labour site) and offer national politics, thus adding impetus to our cause, we were to desert that objective.
Not suggesting you abandon any principle Richard. I’m just not sure that having an objective to be part of Cameron’s Conservative Party is one I share.
I think the beauty of the NI Tories, is the principle involved.
Voting for a Pro Union party, where Union does not mean, Orange, White, Evangelical, Homophobic and paranoid.
Low tax, personal responsibility, civil liberties and room for growth.
While the conservative party as a brand is an easy target for those fundementally opposed to these principles, their slander does nothing to detract from the issues.
The Conservative party is wide and varied in its beliefs, however it is the core principles which will attract voters. The past ‘unpleasantness’ towards the N.I. organisation, are petty, insignificant and while very much frustrating, in no way detract from the key principles of modern British Conservatism.
It’s a no from me.
(This post was so vague, and reliant on obscure terms, Cameron could have written it himself)