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Northern Ireland election

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Blogging Holiday

  • Mark Devenport
  • 30 Mar 07, 01:00 PM

I've just recorded an interview with Peter Robinson for this weekend's Inside Politics. I found him intent on accentuating the positive. He was no keener than Gerry Adams on getting into a date for the abolition of the IRA Army Council, nor did he want to crow about whatever progress the DUP is making on a tougher exclusion mechanism.

Questioned about the disquiet of David Simpson, Stephen Moutray and others, he argued that all those who stay in the party should respect the "binding decisions" of the DUP Executive.

On Jim Allister, he shied away from demanding a by-election, acknowledging that the party might stand accused of hypocisy if it called on Mr Allister to stand down, given their readiness to accept 3 UUP MLAs after the 2003 Assembly election.

You can hear the Peter Robinson interview at the usual time, usual place - 91热爆 Radio Ulster at a quarter to one tomorrow.

We've decided to keep this blog going until our new devolution day on May 8th. After that, who knows? However I am off for a fortnight's leave.

This leaves me with a dillemma - should I appoint a baby sitter or a blog sitter? I might persuade Martina Purdy to take my 3 year old daughter to W5, but there is no way she will go in goals so my 5 year old son can take penalties at her. That's settled it - Martina gets the blog, I get the kids. Until the middle of April, cheerio.

Comments   Post your comment

  • 1.
  • At 09:04 PM on 01 Apr 2007,
  • gary blair wrote:

Perhaps the main reason why Robinson was easy going about the issue of the PIRA Army Council is because it does not suit the DUP to remind anyone (themselves included) that it still exists?

The reason for his reticence regarding the DUP's progress in having a Default Mechanism introduced is because they have little chance of achieving this elusive goal. Indeed, it may no longer even be a goal.

The pre-election tough talking by the DUP was no more than that - talk. The 2005 manifesto ruled out just about everything they have accepted less than 2 years after that manifesto was put to the people.

  • 2.
  • At 09:10 PM on 01 Apr 2007,
  • gary blair wrote:

Perhaps the main reason why Robinson was easy going about the issue of the PIRA Army Council is because it does not suit the DUP to remind anyone (themselves included) that it still exists?

The reason for his reticence regarding the DUP's progress in having a Default Mechanism introduced is because they have little chance of achieving this elusive goal. Indeed, it may no longer even be a goal.

The pre-election tough talking by the DUP was no more than that - talk. The 2005 manifesto ruled out just about everything they have accepted less than 2 years after that manifesto was put to the people.

  • 3.
  • At 10:13 PM on 01 Apr 2007,
  • Real Unionist Party wrote:

The DUP have sold out the Unionist people by going into government with Sinn Fein/IRA although everytime a DUP MLA appears to talk now the IRA have now gone away as if by magic.
Tony Blair will never exclude the IRA from government and now thanks to the DUP joining Sinn Fein to the hip they have done the dirty work of the Blair Government by crushing dessent within the Unionist community.
At this moment in time Paisley may think he has the Unionist people on his side but come the summer and the parades, policing and many other events may go beyond his and Adams control and the biggest losers will be the law abiding people of Northern Ireland who at this moment in time have to stomach this judas deal.
The NO camp to the Belfast Agreement and the safe keepers of the Union havent gone away you know.

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