Celebrity Politicians?

Posted on January 13, 2017 by fitzjameshorse

One of the most interesting things about English elections is the celebrity endorsements.

Much loved Ken Barlow from Weatherfield (Coronation Street) is of course a Labour man. He even spent a week in jail in the 1960s for a protest against nuclear weapons. And yet William Roache from Cheshire (Ken’s alter ego) is a Tory.

Notably “Sir” Alex Ferguson is a Labour supporter.

“Sir” Sean Connery, Brian Cox and Alan Cumming are among the prominent Scots who support Scottish independence.

We do not have the same celebrity involvement in Norn Iron. Politics is still too divisive. Businessmen dont want to get involved. Neither do publicly known figures.

Retired TV journalists like Fearghal McKinney and Mike Nesbitt are exceptions to the rule.

In the archive of this Blog, you will find facetious references to our local celebrities and how they might vote in elections. When a local GAA star is interviewed, do you ever wonder if he votes for Gregory Campbell? Or when you see a local Rugby star interviewed, do you ever wonder if he votes for Máirtín Ó Muilleoir? And our weather presenters? Academics? Newsreaders?

I would not assumme that the UTV and BBC newsrooms are representative. Do sixty per cent vote? Does it break down as 50% unionist, 40% nationalist and 10% LetsGetAlongerist? I would guess that nationalists are under-represented and LetsGetAlongerists over-represented in those newsrooms.

BBC and ITN and even SKY people might not be Brexiteers. Are they representative of Britain? Likewise the people at NBC, CBS, ABC, CNN might be unrepresentative of the American electorate.

But is it any different in Havelock House and Ormeau Avenue?

Of course, over the past few years, I have heard whispers that “he is one of us” or “she isnt one of us”. But generally speaking, our celebs have been tight-lipped about political affiliation.

But does it really matter that our mainstream media is out of touch with public opinion…in USA, Britain and Norn Iron.

Of course not every political party can recruit an all-Ireland winner (Justin McNulty SDLP) but its important to say that he is an excellent MLA.

But “celebrity” is as much local or localised. UUP have done well to recruit Doug Beattie who has medals from the English army. Probably not a household name but he has the right profile.

Celebrity is as much about the local top man in the Orange Order, the Chairman of the local St Vincent de Paul….as it is about playing GAA at the highest level or reading the news in Ormeau Avenue.

The local celeb route is more valid than anonymous back-room people with a degree in politics and media studies.Fea

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Joint Authority Or Direct Rule?

Posted on January 12, 2017 by fitzjameshorse

It is strange that any upcoming election will focus on two rival Plan Bs rather than the alleged purpose…electing a power-sharing Executive for Norn Iron.

The Good Friday Agreement is a failure. Whether it deserves to fail…thats a different question.

By common consent, about 95% of nationalists voted for the Good Friday Agreement in 1998…not very different from the vote in the Republic of Ireland. And by common consent about 55% of unionists voted for the Agreement.

This is significant. Nationalists had more faith in the Agreement. The failure therefore hits nationalists harder. Nationalists analysed the Agreement as stepping stones to a United Ireland. Those Unionists who voted YES saw it as a series of obstacles to a United Ireland.

The Good Friday Agreement was sold to the two tribes. For the best of reasons…Peace…it was sold as a Lie…maybe two lies. A Great Big Lie. And I bought it.

A third way to look at the Agreement is that it was neither. It was about letting the pieces fall…but doing nothing and the DUP ensured no progress meant a status quo was embedded …a unionist status quo.

Since 1998….SDLP (initially) and Sinn Féin (latterly) have snatched Defeat from the jaws of Victory.

I always thought that the definition of Hubris was Seamus Mallon proclaiming that the Good Friday Agreement was “Sunningdale for slow learners”. Sometime in the next two decades some nationalist politician will claim that the newest Agreement is “Sunningdale and the Good Friday Agreement for VERY VERY slow learners”.

So….an Election. But SF are publicly doubting they can work with DUP. And SDLP seem to prefer NOrn Iron to be ruled jointly by London and Dublin. In the context of Brexit, it actually makes sense.

The Public might well be disgusted at DUP-SF but their hatred of each other actually ensures they will be the biggest unionist and nationalist parties. The Opposition parties can not cobble together a credible electoral pact (the UUP are simply too mired in sectarianism), a credible platform…SDLP-UUP division is a weakness but DUP-SF division is a strength.

The Public Anger will manifest itself as abstention and a boycott of the election will work against the Good Guys (in this context, SDLP, UUP and Alliance) more than it will work against DUP-Sinn Féin.

Readers of this Blog will know that I have wanted Stormont to fail for some years. It is a constant reminder of how badly I miscalculated….and how badly all nationalists miscalculated in 1998. SDLP blaming the British and Irish governments is not totally convincing. But it is marginally better than Sinn Féin trying to blame everyone else for their constant humiliation at the hands of DUP …thats laughable.

You may think SDLP is the Stoop Down Low Party. I may think Sinn Féin is Stoop Further.

This is an election about Plan B….SDLP and even Sinn Féin would be delighted with Joint Authority. DUP and even UUP would be delighted with Direct Rule from London.

James Brokenshire is unlikely to prevent an election but the NIO will note the turn-out. An a second election is likely to show even lower turn-out.

Brexit DOES throw a spanner in the works but certainly I can see that NIO will facilitate a Dublin dimension BUT still control things….and appoint that ultimate Quango….the Quisling Quango of academics, business people, civic society, lobbyists who have been waiting on this opportunity for years.

 

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Martin McGuinness Resigns

Posted on January 9, 2017 by fitzjameshorse

It is clear from his appearance on TV today that Martin McGuinness is not a well man. And the first human reaction has to be one of sympathy.

How this sympathy manifests in any upcoming election is hard to judge. The related point is that Sinn Féin keyboard warriors have been pushing the line that Sinn Féin has a strategy and actually knows what it is doing…yet will go into any election pushing the exact opposite.

The nationalist electorate will be asked to support Sinn Féin on the basis that Sinn Féin’s list of humiliations that it has suffered at the hands of the DUP is actually humiliation for the entire nationalist community…and the only way for nationalists is to deal with the humiliation is to ….er re-elect the people who facilitated the humiliation in the first place.

Sinn Féin are a political party who wanted Arlene Foster to stand aside for an inquiry. They did not demand her resignation and a full public inquiry. They failed…even with a proposal designed to get DUP and SF off the hook.

In the crazy world of Norn Iron politics, it might just work.

And while the entire crisis is down to DUP arrogance (and SF failure to address it), going into an election as the Party that humiliated Sinn Féin will not damage DUP too much.

The most likely outcome of any election is that DUP and SF will remain the biggest parties, taking some damage. There will be a campaign to boycott the election and turn out will be low. The boycott will more likely damage the good guys (in this context SDLP and UUP) than the bad guys (DUP and Sinn Féin).

Whether the NIO and its invisible and anonymous Secretary of State sanctions an election is one thing. How James Brokenshire reacts to (say) a turn-out of 45% is another thing.

Direct Rule…..or do we just go to an appointed Commission to run Norn Iron. The ultimate Quango….the Quisling Quango.

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Is Israel Anti-Semitic?

Posted on January 9, 2017 by fitzjameshorse

One of the most thankless tasks for a Blogger is to write anything about Israel, especially on an American website. It is just not worth it. The vitriol pours forth in “comments”.

Two of the many bad things in the world is Anti-Semitism and …being accused of Anti-Semitism. Of course Europe and the World and Christianity and Islam have a lot to answer for because of historic crimes. But I am a mild mannered type of man with no blood on my hands.

So I wont be lectured to by pro-Israel trolls. Mostly I avoid lectures by not saying anything that could offend.

Western Europe is often accused of being overly anti-Israel. United States is often accused of being overly pro-Israel. But lets set one thing straight. In 1956 at Suez, France and Britain conspired with Israel against Egypt and were told to back down by USA…with a Republican President in the White House.

What changed?

Well I actually recall the Six Day War of 1967. I was 15 years old. The World was pretty much 100% behind plucky little Israel, the democratic nation surrounded by a sea of undemocratic Arab nations. We were all behind Golda Meir and Moshe Dyan. Of course, it was the time of the Cold War and Arabs hijacking planes, the massacre at the Munich Olympics. It was plainly Good Guys versus Bad Guys.

I think Jordan and Lebanon  changed public perceptions in the West. It was the first time anyone had even noticed the Palestinians. And to the surprise of many, the Palestinians had a valid case.

The Israelis had no intent of giving up territory won since 1948. And backed by USA, they had no real incentive to do so. The illegal settlements were built.

An odd thing about Israel is that it is actually very diverse. There are secular Jews and religious Jews…some are so religious that they wont join the Israel Army. Orthodox Jews often hold the balance of power siding with conservatives like Netanyahu.

We have all seen footage of traditional Jews at the Wailing Wall. We have all seen footage of traditionally dressed Jewish men going to synagogues in New York and Golders Green. To Americans and English people who agonise that migrants dont integrate into western society, they must surely seem to prove that point.

But….dare I mention that a powerful play of Israel is the call to the West that it is defending western values. It is a kith and kin “civilisation” argument. We have seen it before …..in South Africa, in USA and here in Norn Iron.

It is simple enough. To “Ulster Unionists”, Belfast is as British as Birmingham, Newtownards is as British as Norwich  and Crossmaglen is as British as Cambridge.

White South Africans whether of Dutch or English descent refused to accept they were actually in Africa at all. To them, South Africa was an island somewhere between the Thames Estuary and the Hook of Holland.

Within two miles of my home, Israel and Palestine flags fly from lamposts and trees …our curious proxy war. Israel and British Unionists are the settlers and Irish Nationalists are the displaced  colonised.

The Israelis, white South Africans and Ulster Unionists made the deserts, veldts and boglands bloom….a blessing from GOD, the Jewish God, the Dutch Reformed God and the Presbyterian/Anglican God.

Is it any surprise they support each other?a

And USA….well here’s the thing. Texas, Oklahoma and (say) Wyoming vote solidly in support of Israel. But…..New York? What about Bernie Sanders?…..or indeed what about the East End of London?

Why is there a slush fund in the Israeli Embassy in London?

Why is it a “closed” incident that a senior Israeli official at the London Embassy is caught talking about “taking down” Alan Duncan, Britains Deputy Foreign Minister.

The surprising thing is that the talking heads sent out by the Israeli Foreign Ministry to explain the Israeli position on American and British TV News stations are not so diverse. One…Mark Ragev …was a regular sent out by Israeli government to talk about the anti-semite nature of the criticism levelled at Israel. Mr Ragev was born in Australia and educated in Australia and United States. His manner of dress and accent is (for want of a better word) “western”. He is now Israeli ambassador to Britain and the boss of the man who wants to take down Alan Duncan.

But while I see Ragev and the other westernised clones sent out by Israel to defend the Israeli position on Channel Four, BBC, Fux News, CNN and the rest, I dont think I have ever seen a bearded man with ringlets and a fur hat trying to do this. Or indeed a veiled woman.

Statistically there must be a reonable percentage of Orthodox folks in the Israeli Foreign Office but we never seem to see them on the TV News. Would they scare people in Texas, Oklahoma and Wyoming?

The kith and kin strategy is surely dependent on the “identification” factor. And it must be deliberate that these spokespersons are chosen for their photogenic appeal to British and American audiences.

Ulster Unionists cannot accept that Norn Iron is in….Ireland. The Israelis dont really want Americans to think that Israel is in the Middle East. Convincing Americans that Israel is somewhere between New York and Connecticut is part of the Israeli strategy…and they dont seem to mind being anti-semite to make some points.

 

 

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Alliance Party Shyte! : Slugger Steps In!

Posted on January 7, 2017 by fitzjameshorse

“Colum started well but was eclipsed by Naomi” (Mick Fealty)

Seriously, have you ever read such patronising bullshit in all your life?

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Irish Stamps 2017

Posted on January 6, 2017 by fitzjameshorse

The 2017 New Stamps Issue programme has been issued by An Post.

image

It is of course provisional. Christians, particuarly Catholics, will be pleased to see that a stamp will be issued to mark the centenary of the “Apparations” in Fatima, Portugal.

The 150th Anniversary of the Death of Thomas F Meagher will be marked in June. This MIGHT be a joint issue with the United States of America.

Meagher was a leader of the Young Ireland movement.Sentenced to death but commuted to transportation to Australia, he made his way to USA and was the Commander of The Irish Brigade in the Union Army during the Civil War. After the War, he became Governor of Montana and died in (possibly) mysterious circumstances in 1867.

Meagher is also credited with the design of the flag (originally Orange, White and Green) which would become the National Flag of Ireland.

Surprisingly maybe a stamp will be issued to mark the 50th Anniversary of the Death of Che Guevara. This has passed the Selection Committee but might prove controversial. Personally I have no problem with it. After all, Che ….Ernesto Che Guevara Lynch is “one of our own” and a descendant from the Irish diaspora in Argentina.

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The End Is Nigh?

Posted on January 6, 2017 by fitzjameshorse

Three questions.

Will RHI bring down the Government?

Would it be a bad thing?

Do you care?

I suppose the short answer to the first question is that it is too soon to tell. But it seems increasingly obvious that eventually there will be one crisis which will push the “institutions” over the edge.

At one level, the disconnect between DUP and Sinn Féin is increasingly obvious. You might well choose to believe the SF narrative that DUP-SF is a joint and equal government. You might well choose to believe the view (articulated by Christopher Stalford MLA) that Sinn Féin is “the junior partner in a centre right coalition”. You might well choose to believe my narrative that Sinn Féin is a docile lap-dog or I might moderate it slightly and say that DUP is in government and Sinn Féin is in office.

Certainly Sinn Féin are not strutting around telling any gullible person that they are an all-Ireland party, who are heading for government in Republic of Ireland. To put it bluntly, Sinn Féin have peaked and it is harder to sell their self-proclaimed “rise and rise” to the electorate.

Whether it is alienation from voting itself, the emergence of People Before Profit or SDLP showing signs of life, it is clear Sinn Féin are under pressure.

RHI is a disaster. RHI is a scandal. Certainly DUP circling the wagons is unimpressive. SF have been weak. They make polite demands that Arlene Foster stands aside as First Minister. She says No…..and well that seems to be that. They hide behind “collective responsibility”, a concept that DUP does not seem to recognise.

What of Claire Sugden, our Minister for Justice (a very badly named Ministry)? She was co-opted to replace David McClarty (formerly UUP, Independent) and elected last year as an honest broker…gene pool UUP and Alliance-lite.

But she always seemed lightweight and and an unlikely Minister for Justice and it is likely DUP-SF gave her the job on the basis that she is a lightweight. Yet she has not rocked the Government boat over RHI. A choice between “collective responsibility” and the “public mood” and she seems to have made the wrong choice.

Ms Sugden is better placed than me to judge the interests of her own constituents in East Derry. But she owes her election to being UUP and Alliance voters as well as a personal vote. But UUP and Alliance are firmly in the “Arlene Must Go! ” camp.

It seems to me that she is damaging her chances of retaining her seat but she may not be thinking in terms of a long-term career in electoral politics.

UUP and Principle? Well there is always Opportunism. The Opposition parties have been presented with an “open goal” but deep down this is the same UUP which had an electoral pact with DUP as recently as May 2015.

Alliance Party and Principle? Another risible concept. Six months ago, they felt entitled to be given the Justice Ministry and crawled on the ground to get it…and failed. Does anyone really think the Alliance Party would be agitating for Arlene’s resignation if they held the Justice portfolio.

Sinn Féin and Principle? I saw better jokes in Christmas crackers. They dont seem to realise that it is about the “institutions” not the “Peace Process”. SF have travelled too far, been sucked into the Establishment too much and the ordinary folks on the street can live happily without Máirtín ÓMuilleoir

SDLP and Principle? Well not surprisingly I do not find this to be risible. But SDLP has too much principle for its own good. They would do a lot better if they were as unprincipled as I am. But SDLP would never listen to me….after all they never listen to anybody that wishes them well.

No more Mr and Ms Nice Guy. SDLP should be going straight for the throat. Bring this Government down. Think in terms of an Election.

There are two forms of analysis. One looks at demographics and last known election results and simply says that things will not be any different. The second form of analysis is political and tries to interpret what is happening on the ground.

The next major test of public opinion is not scheduled for some years. And throwing a spanner in that particular schedule is not a bad idea.

There is nothing to lose. Certainly not for SDLP. Conceivably there is something to gain.

Principle is great…SDLP have it. But do they have the Courage?

 

 

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The Fall Of West Belfast

Posted on December 27, 2016 by fitzjameshorse

There was a time when Norn Iron was blatantly sectarian. A time some fifty years ago, when there was no political correctness. It was not unusual to return to work  after lunch and find that Mrs Jones had left a gospel tract on my desk. On one occasion she left a small Bible.

Mrs Jones agonised about me. Mainly because I was going to Hell. I was after all not “saved”. Being a “Roman Catholic”, I could not get into Heaven. And yet Mrs Jones thought I was better than most “Roman Catholics”. I did not smoke or drink alcohol. I did not swear. I was unfailingly polite. In many ways, I ticked all the “saved Protestant” boxes.

There was of course another kinda co-worker. …Herbie.Many of his friends were “Roman Catholic” but well…too many “Roman Catholics” lived in squalor. He could tell me …and did tell me stories about Ballymurphy.

And then there were the jokes.

“What do you call a man from West Belfast, who is wearing a suit?” ….”The Defendant”.

At what point does a person from West Belfast start to feel offended?

OF course a lot of us left West Belfast. Like those boring Scousers in London, who go misty-eyed at the thought of their Liverpool home, I can do the “our neighbours were the salt of the earth…you could leave your front door unlocked” nostalgia as well as anybody.

For the record NOBODY left their front door unlocked.

Of course by the early 1970s, Killing and/or Murder had become routine. If Killing a person becomes excusable…or making excuses for Killing is excusable, then it is a slippery slope. Robbery becomes routine. Stealing a car. Crime and “Morality” are of course very different. But if you can live with , Killing, Robbery and Stealing a car…you might find it difficult to condemn ….Adultery etc.

So….West Belfast seemed to turn against itself. The Man from Andytown jokes. “What do you call a man from Turf Lodge who is wearing a suit?” Yes….”the Defendant”.

Society in West Belfast is now tiered, graduated.

And tonight the Man from Andytown referred to “Breakfast in Poleglass…..Buckfast and the Morning-After Pill”.

Is that it? Patronised by Mrs Jones and ridiculed by Herbie in 1970….we do it to ourselves in 2016.

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James Corden Or Ricky Gervais?

Posted on December 24, 2016 by fitzjameshorse

The great thing about being a TV addict is pressing the “pause” button on the remote control and pointing out to family members that the actress playing the part of the policewoman was in “Holby City” and the actor playing the doctor was in “Game of Thrones”.

This means that watching an hour-long  TV show with me can easily turn into a two hour experience. My family, especially Mrs FitzjamesHorse has often expressed admiration for my extensive knowledge of Television from 1959 to date.

Take….James Corden, now apparently the new David Letterman in the United States. I have never actually seen his show …nor do I want to.

When I think of James Corden, I tend to think of him as one of the six A level students (they all looked as if in their mid-20s) in the movie “The History Boys” or playing one scene in “Dalziel and Pascoe” in repeats on Channel 132.

Or as the younger brother of the Only Gay in the Village on “Little Britain”. Or a jobbing actor in “Fat Friends”.

Seemingly the friendship with Ruth Jones began on the latter shows and the writing partnership produced “Gavin and Stacey” in which they both played parts.

James Corden certainly embraced the full “luvvie”/laddish experience (hosting “A League of Their Own”) showcasing his matiness with Jamie Redknapp, Jack Whitehall and Freddie Flintoff.

It is difficult to imagine James Corben saying “no” to any script or idea. His partnership with Matthew Horne, co-star of “Gavin and Stacey” was short-lived. They had over-reached themselves. Hubris. And their friendship was damaged.

But….where are they now? Showbiz is fickle. Of the “History Boys” chorus, only Russell Tovey seems a regular on the telly. The Only Gay in the Village (Matt Lucas) was originally better known than David Walliams, his “Little Britain” partner but now Walliams seems more popular. Ruth Jones has a sit-com on “Sky” but is better known as the face of Tesco….no doubt lucrative but hardly rewarding in a creative sense. Matthew Horne shows up in mediocre sit-coms like “Angela Raisin” and “Bad Education”.

But how is that James Corden got to be an A-lister?

Take Ricky Gervais…you might just remember him on the little remembered Channel 4 comedy series which introduced Ali G. But of course “The Office” which he wrote and starred in was a classic. We all know the Boss who tries too hard and wants to be our friend. In that last Christmas Special, we were rooting for David Brent.

If anything, I think his follow-up “Extras” was better. A cleverly observed take on show-biz and the hierarchy of stardom. Arguably when his struggling actor,Andy Millman actually became famous thru writing and starring in a sit-com….pestered by fans to say his catchphrase….it revealed something about Ricky Gervais himself. Millman became arrogant and unable to find a follow up….his career came full circle in “Celebrity Big Brother” sharing the house with fading stars.

Seemingly Gervais was on a roll. A guest appearance as an exaggerated version of himself on The Simpsons. But his comedy  “Derek” set in a nursing home was poor.

At his best, Ricky Gervais addresses taboo subjects like Disability but there is something uncomfortable. He is cruel. He considers Offence to be “the colateral damage of Free Speech”. That goes too far for me.

In some ways the Gervais career mirrors the career of his character, Andy Millman. It increasingly looks like he is a man who had two good ideas.

He is as much a “luvvie” as James Corden. The difference is that Corden has unlimited belief in his own talent. He is an entertainer who wants to be a megastar. But has no great ambition to be a genius.

Corden is not going to say anything deep and meaningful about Brexit and Donald Trump. Gervais is.

In a Christmas message on Facebook, Ricky Gervais rants that 2016 has given him lots of material (Brexit and Trump) …a good thing but that his stand-up persona is “playing the arrogant, misinformed know-it-all”. Now he agonises that his audience will not see the irony and actually agree with him.

In other words, Ricky Gervais is…in his own view….smarter than    many in his audience. Of course he is not the only comedian who thinks of himself as smarter than ordinary folks….especially folks who vote……Stephen Fry, Eddie Izzard, the cast of Mock The Week and Saturday Night Live and Jake O’Kane.

And I havent even written “liberal elite”.

Comedy is at least in part about Observation and who exactly are comedians observing? Each other?

I find this Disconnexion worrying. Well actually I am too old to find anything worrying but whether it is politicians, journalists, football pundits or comedians or……bloggers, they all seem remarkably out of touch with what real people are thinking.

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I Blame LetsGetAlongerists

Posted on December 21, 2016 by fitzjameshorse

I blame LetsGetAlongerists.

They havent gone away ya know.

There is of course something hypocritical about Votes of No Confidence. Its a bit like shouting “Penalty!!” or “Offside!!!” At the TV screen when you are watching a football match involving your favourite team.

Sometimes…your team does not get the penalty that any neutral would say it deserved. And sometimes the team your team is playing gets away with a blatant offside. Sometimes the referee appears on the side of the other team…or maybe just an incompetent buffoon.

Take that Vote of Confidence in Stormont earlier this week. These things occur when an Opposition is being opportunistic or (as in the case with RHI) when the Opposition has the Government “bang to rights”.

By any reasonable standard, RHI is a scandal and the call for the First Minister to stand aside is a reasonable one…but it brings out the partisanship and DUP MLAs were forced to walk thru the lobby to support Arlene Foster.

Nobody in SDLP (who led on the issue) or UUP will be disappointed that the vote “failed”. Much more importantly, DUP was exposed as incompetent and DUP MLAs exposed as hypocrites.

Likewise Sinn Féin was exposed as DUP poodles…or if youre a SF troll or just very gullible, Sinn Féin was exposed as just looking like DUP poodles but are actually the greatest political brains in the world, with a strategy that mere mortals cant comprehend.

But really DUP voting for Arlene is hardly a surprise. Nor is SDLP, UUP, Green, TUV and PBP voting against Arlene a surprise.  Nor is Sinn Féin cowardice.

Consider…Claire Sugden, the Independent Unionist MLA for East Derry. She is the Minister for Justice (dont laugh!) ….the glue that holds the DUP-Sinn Féin one-party state together. She might well be a moderate and maybe even a former UUP member but she dutifully supported her benefactors ….ah “collective responsibility” dontcha just love it????

A thought occurs…if Ms Sugden was unburdened by all that “collective responsibility”, would she perhaps have voted with the Opposition?

Of course, I was delighted that Ms Sugden got the Justice gig rather than an Alliance MLA. They had lobbied for it in a curious way….with a sense of entitlement AND grovelling in an embarrassing way.

A second thought occurs. If Naomi Long was Minister for Justice, how would the Alliance Party have voted on Monday?

It is not as if the Alliance Party does not have form in this regard.   Their peculiar set of principles entitled them to an Executive seat beyond their electoral mandate from 2011 to 2016. And remember how a few years ago, some Alliance MLAs re-designated themselves as “unionist” as procedural device to keep this show on the road.

Who exactly is responsible for keeping this Stormont farce going? It is not merely DUP and their obedient Sinn Féin poodle. Or even the highly “principled” LetsGetAlongerists within the Assembly.

This sham is held together by LetsGetAlongerists outside the Assembly. I cant imagine that our banking community, business community, civic society, academics, arts and culture sector, trade unions, civil service etc have that many members who would vote DUP and Sinn Féin…it would not go down well at the Golf Club and the Yacht Club. But our society (if the Ulster Tatler is a good guide) has a helluva lot of hangers-on who love to be seen having a vol-au-vent at any old reception in the Long Gallery at Parliament Buildings and having their photograph taken with Máirtín Ó Muilleoir, Simon Hamilton ….or hitting the  jackpot and getting a selfie with Arlene Foster and Martin McGuinness.

The Opposition DID read the public mood right this week. The Public are disgusted. But Votes of Confidence are all very well…indeed the political landscape has changed, at least temporarily.

But I would be more impressed if some of the hangers-on turned down an invitation to share a vol-au- vent with Peter Weir or actually refused to invite Michelle O’Neill to the opening of their new nail bar business. Or took Máirtín ÓMuilleoir off their Facebook page.

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