Ulster Unionist Party | Jeff Peel's Diary

Posts Tagged 'Ulster Unionist Party'

Are ‘Celtic Fringe’ Conservatives About to Declare UDI?

Published September 4, 2011 News , Opinion 8 Comments
Tags: Conservative, Murdo Fraser, Northern Ireland, Scottish Conservatives, Ulster Unionist Party

Is David Cameron prepared to see the creation of 'sister parties' in the devolved regions? Image via Wikipedia

The BBC is, today, running an article that suggests that the frontrunner to lead the Scottish Conservatives wants the Scottish Party to distance itself from the Party in London. In effect, Murdo Fraser wants the Scottish Conservatives to be more, um, Scottish. There is an inherent logic to this as Westminster is, increasingly, the parliament of England – and more powers are being devolved to the regional parliaments. Fraser’s ambition, apparently, is to create a Scottish right-of-centre party in Scotland, freed of London-centric coalition baggage.

I gather that similar moves are afoot to create a Northern Ireland centre-right party out of the ruins of the near-dead Ulster Unionist Party and the Conservatives in Northern Ireland. Rumour has it that several prominent Ulster Unionists are planning to defect to the Conservatives in the next couple of weeks. And, in an act of meeting them halfway, the Conservative leadership here wants to create a new NI-focused centre-right, and non-sectarian brand – much more distant from the London Party.

To an extent this seems logical. Some in the UUP genuinely want to distance themselves from the sectarian baggage the party brings to electorate – but don’t want to join a Conservative Party that has no, local, electoral prospects. Many local Conservatives have also come to the realisation that in the context of devolution there has to be an element of Realpolitik at the core of their single-nation idealism.

If the result is that a genuine non-sectarian, centre-right party is created here, I’m all for it. I’d just have concerns that the new party – whatever it’s called, will have the necessary leadership charisma to make it an electoral success.

Sex, Hypocrisy, Christians and the UUP

Published March 24, 2011 Uncategorized 8 Comments
Tags: atheism, Conservative Party, Northern Ireland, Richard Dawkins, Ulster Unionist Party

Dr Brian Crowe of the UUP didn't approve of my sharing a platform with Professor Richard Dawkins (pictured). Image via Wikipedia

I have to admit to being naturally drawn to stories about the Ulster Unionist Party making a public arse of itself. But the (Rev) Brian Crowe story is almost too much.

I first met Dr/Rev Brian Crowe in the very earliest days of the “negotiations” between the UUP and the Conservative Party. In those days he was Head of Policy for the UUP. He claimed to be a policy wonk and talked a lot about the CDU in Germany. We didn’t hit it off. I don’t think he liked me.

But it was some time later that we “met” online. I don’t spend a lot of time on Facebook – I rarely update my status. However, any time I visited it appeared that Brian Crowe was there. He reminded me of an Aunt of mine (dead now) who used to spend a lot of her time in Woodsides department store in Lisburn for no obvious reason.

But on one occasion (Dr/Rev) Brian and I got into an exchange. He took exception to the fact that I’d once shared a platform with Professor Richard Dawkins and he felt the need to put me right on my atheism. The trail, I can’t find, but I believe his argument was that Atheists were hypocrites – we were little different to religious fundamentalists.

I pointed out, of course, that Atheists didn’t tell people how to live their lives or to lay down strict moral standards – it was all about reciprosity and ensuring we adhered to a common, decent humanity. But he took issue with this and argued that morality was why we needed Christianity. Christian morality, according to Dr Brian, was what made modern democracies.

I don’t claim to be the most moral person on the world but hopefully I have picked up a wee bit of morality without too much exposure to religion, or scriptures or moral hectoring – my upbringing helped. Perhaps Dr Brian was less lucky. But every time a hypocrite falls I do get some guilty pleasure. Wrong I know. But enjoyable all the same.

Conservatives Dump UUP?

Published February 3, 2011 News 30 Comments
Tags: Conservative, Conservatives in Northern Ireland, Northern Ireland, Owen Paterson, Ulster Unionist Party

Image via Wikipedia

I have received a media release from Conservative Central Office confirming that the Party will be organising in Northern Ireland from here on as the Conservative Party (no reference to “Unionist”). The release makes clear that the Party will be contesting local government elections in May.

However the release makes no reference to the Assembly elections.

I’ll be commenting in more detail on this announcement later. (In fact, no need, just read my comments on this post).

The full text of the release from CCHQ reads as follows:

The Conservative Party in Northern Ireland has committed itself to an ongoing programme of campaigning and development and will shortly move into a new campaign headquarters in Bangor, Co. Down. A full time member of staff will be based at the headquarters and one of the Party’s most senior campaign directors has been appointed to liaise with the Party in Northern Ireland.

The Party is committed to the development of progressive centre right politics which offer the electorate of Northern Ireland the opportunity to cast their votes for and participate directly with the national Government of the United Kingdom. The Party will continue to review how Conservatives in Northern Ireland can play a full part in the Conservative Party as in every other part of the United Kingdom and senior Conservatives in Northern Ireland will work with the Board of the Party to develop that relationship.

Central to that development will be the Party’s desire to see Conservative Associations formed in every Northern Ireland constituency and an active programme of membership recruitment at a local level.

Conservative Party co-chairman Baroness Warsi said: “The Conservative Party in Northern Ireland has the unequivocal support of the Party nationally. Politics in Northern Ireland continues to evolve and we are determined to be at the heart of that evolution. Our approach will be one of active engagement – starting with the fielding of candidates in the Local Council elections in May.”

ENDS

Blogger Solidarity

Published January 26, 2011 News 5 Comments
Tags: Conservative, Northern Ireland, Owen Paterson, Ulster Conservatives and Unionists, Ulster Unionist Party

Image by Slugger O'Toole via Flickr

Chekov, over on the 3000 Versts Blog has highlighted an open letter from two local bloggers to Owen Paterson, NI Secretary of State, and chief architect of the partnership with the UUP (that crashed and burned with UCUNF).

As an act of solidarity with my fellow bloggers O’Neill and Dilettante (and Chekov) I am reproducing it here. I’ll be interested to see the response and will publish it here (if it ever comes).

Dear Mr. Paterson,

We are writing to you concerning the position of the Conservative Party vis-à-vis its activity in Northern Ireland. As Conservative and Unionist bloggers we have been firm supporters of Mr. Cameron’s policy of political engagement in the province, and we hope to be able to continue to facilitate in our small way the efforts of the party there. In recent weeks there has been some confusion about the future of the party in Northern Ireland, and if you were able to clarify that position for us, we would then be able to pass it to our readership.

Kind Regards,

Dilettante, oneill

CCHQ Shafts Northern Ireland Conservatives

Published December 8, 2010 Opinion 7 Comments
Tags: Conservative Campaign Headquarters, Conservative Party, Democratic Unionist Party, Laurence Robertson, Northern Ireland, Owen Paterson, Sammy Wilson, Ulster Unionist Party

Big on Society, Small on Principle (Image Wikipedia)

Conservative central office has never really cared for Conservatives who happen to reside in Northern Ireland. CCHQ has a history of being populated by people who think that people here only want to vote for sectarianism of one hue or another. Moreover, it has also employed its fair share of small-minded bigots.

This evening the Conservatives’ little-Ulster fossils have been trotted out to defend the policy of assuming the missionary position for the UUP. Laurence Robertson, who plays second fiddle to Owen Paterson, is probably closer to the DUP than he is to the UUP. But he’s certainly never been a friend of the Conservatives in Northern Ireland.

Barnoness Warsi, Tory Chairwoman, who favours a greater role for faith groups in the “Big Society” also appears to be fan of the Orange-soaked UUP. Big Society in Little Ulster. Great.

It has taken quite a while for the local Conservatives to see that Paterson, Robertson and CCHQ intended to systematically ignore them in seeking a deal with the rudderless and useless UUP. But, then again, the Conservative Party leadership is also in a coalition government with the rudderless and policy-devoid Lib Dems. So this is familiar territory.

The UUP seems to be in gloating mode that it has stolen a march on local Conservatives. But, frankly, who would want to be involved in a Conservative Party that is devoid of any perceptible Conservative values?

The politics of this once great United Kingdom seems to lack any political party with any vestige of any political principle. Instead we have the politics of local and national populism. Our Executive is incapable of agreeing a budget while, nationally, our Prime Minister, like the one before him, prefers to schmooze with celebrities, as an alternative to articulating any coherent policy positions.

Oh and today the Big Society turned out to be a requirement for us all to shovel grit.

In a world that seems increasingly like a confederacy of dunces Sammy Wilson is beginning to sound rational. Now that is a worry.

Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Oblivion

Published November 23, 2010 Opinion 8 Comments
Tags: Conservative Party, Owen Paterson, Politics, Ulster Unionist Party

Image via Wikipedia

Ian Parsley looks set to continue his meanderings in political oblivion. Now that he receives no income from Conservative Party internal quangos he’s setting off on a new course towards right-mindedness. But, as suggested by Owen Polley, he may have to create a new political party of one in North Down.

Parsley has had many political manifestations. Alliance Euro-candidate, then Conservative (although a salary was required before he politically jumped the brush), then Chief UNCUNFian (and Owen Paterson right-hand-man), then bitching from the side-lines, then hissy-fitting UCUNF-basher. A veritable parish-pump chameleon. A wearer of a political coat of many colours.

All of this has provoked me to write a post after several weeks. Have been busy, work-wise, and a tad underwhelmed by political developments. I have expressed my hope, via some media activity around the strategic spending review, that the local Executive might be sensible and agree a budget. However, the runes don’t look good. Heads are in the sand all over the place, the shinners want to tax phone masts, and the unions are being even more hissy than hissy Parsley.

Things don’t look good. But at least I might be inspired to write a bit more. Give me encouragement.

Related Articles:

Will Ian Parsley re-join the Alliance Party? (politics.ie)
Parsley quits… again. (sluggerotoole.com)

Jeff Peel's Diary

Posts Tagged 'Ulster Unionist Party'