Off Topic The Politics Thread

the DUP support Brexit, but will use their leverage to ensure no hard border and continuity in EU payments; which coupled with their advice to get an Irish passport if you want to move to Europe for work means de facto no brexit for Northern Ireland just Great Britain. That's nice of them

 

It's rather fun swapping political stories about our respective nations with my colleagues here in the USA. We have concluded that the 'special relationship' is so strong that it has evolved into a suicide pact.

 

This is nothing new. Learn some history. Also over half the money was always earmarked for Ireland anyway. Plus Wales and Scotland have received huge amounts that Ireland didn't get.
The point I was making is that imo Ireland is a special case anyway having suffered hugely from all the troubles.
Do some research rather than just shouting your mouth off.

 

If something stupid and wrong has happened before it doesn't make it ok to do it again. This is extra funding and nothing more than a bung, not to mention scrapping one of their few sensible policies- the end of the triple lock.

There is nothing more special about NI, Wales or Scotland than Yorkshire, Lancashire, Essex etc. If Scotland got more than they should have in the past, again it doesn't justify bunging NI a billion to keep 10 nutters onside.

Magic money tree!

 

They've actually both played bit of a blinder here.......

Think about it....for £200m a year Mrs May has guaranteed a 5 year term as well as ensuring that the devolved NI Parliament will be re-established as Sein Fein will want to get their hands on the money to help spend it.......this should end the political stalemate that has basically stopped NI functioning since SF pulled the plug in January.......

Mind I still wouldn't trust Arlene Forster as far as I could throw her especially after her involvement in the renewable energy scheme that she set up and is now the subject of an inquiry..........

 

Whatever the merits of N. Ireland as a deserving cause, or the history of the province, it's hard to believe that this would have happened if Mrs May didn't need their 10 DUP votes in Parliament to keep the Conservatives in government.

Rightly or wrongly, that's the perception the general public has - the Conservatives didn't give a monkeys until they needed something from the DUP. After all, it wasn't in the Conservative manifesto and it's not what the electorate think they voted for.

 

What little content there was in the manifesto is out the window now. It's all about staying in power at all costs.

 

The whole thing is a ****ing shambles. Silly bitch had a small but working majority, just get on with running the country. May should have told the DUP there will be no deal for their support. The alternative is the prospect of a Corbyn led government, who would be less than sympathetic to the DUP, so if you want to vote against us you crack on.

 

It was reported it was £1 billion plus a separate £0.5 B for just the 2 year length of this parliament, not a 5 year term. So if the situation at Westminster is the same in 2 years time they could be back for another bung. SF have said as others the deal endangers the situation in N.Ireland.

 

If only

 

Fixed!

 

Surely this would be the same for whatever party was in power

 

But she hasn't Trams. She is still hostage to her own Tory MPs, only takes a very few to rebel - whether from the Rees-Mogg wing or the Morgan/Soubry wing for the majority to disappear. And if the Governments popularity continues to plummet there is huge incentive to be seen to rebel in an attempt to hang on to seats by distancing. No guarantee of survival at all.

 

Difficult to say. I don't think this Labour Party would have done something this desperate.

 

If they could have won with ten seats from another party the same deals would be made

 

Yep, the SNP would have provided the confidence and supply.

 

I don't have an issue with them forming a coalition, albeit with a load of fruitcakes.

I do have an issue with bunging them £1bn to keep them onside whilst simultaneously condemning Labour for 'magic money tree' policies.

 

Given the amount of work that needs to be done to make sure the border between NI and the Republic operates properly, I really can't see too much of this money that wouldn't have been spent there anyway. It's the most troublesome issue there is. As long as Trade is all sorted, the rest of the issues ought to resolve themselves. But the land border between two fractious nations and the potential for damage if either side get this wrong means that it's gonna need money. And I'm pretty sure some, if not all, of this payment is ultimately going to pay towards that. I doubt it's ringfenced for anything else, because that would be public by now.

I would also need to point out that the amount of cash that was identified by Corbyn as coming from this 'magic money tree' was far, far in excess of £1b. Tuition fees alone would have been many times that amount.

 

Maybe I should have said a "5 year Tory term" as you're right there's no guarantee that Mrs May will be in charge beyond the summer recess......

 

Yes I get the second point but it's the principle I have an issue with- this ideology drilled into us that it's a negative to strive for free/cheap education, nationalised transport etc. and stripping down public services to sell off is somehow a good thing, but then writing a huge cheque to Norn Iron is somehow in our best interests. It doesn't strike me as very free market economics.

I'm sure most if not all the cash will improve things for the people of NI which is obviously a good thing, but I don't see how it can be anything close to the best use of that money given it's only happening because May has put herself in the predicaments of having to buy support.