wot epicyclo said

Am I the only one who thinks Ruth Davidson is an opportunist gobshite rather than the shining light of centrist politics in the UK?

They got 2nd place in Scotland by default as Labour are still pretty much a shambles up here.

rich – bit of both depending on your point of view.

She sounds like she means what she says and until told off by London is consistent in what she says. Played a blinder in the GE collecting the unionist vote around her.

She is on the left of the tory party but is hardly a social democrat. Very keen on human rights.

But – not adverse to playing a negative card now and then and making up/ exaggerating stuff about the SNP to hammer home a point and blames SNP for things they have little or no control over.

I think a few generations ago she would have been a real nonentity in politics but given how ruddy awful our current crop are she appears to be a political giant. an easy trick when you are a normal person surrounded by dwarfs

richmtb – Member
Am I the only one who thinks Ruth Davidson is an opportunist gobshite

nope!

She is on the left of the tory party but is hardly a social democrat. Very keen on human rights.

Not too keen on the needs of rape victims though…

richmtb – Member
Am I the only one who thinks Ruth Davidson is an opportunist gobshite rather than the shining light of centrist politics in the UK?…

She’s a posturing figurehead, just an empty shell and will bend whichever way Westminster’s wind is blowing while pretending that’s what she was going to do anyway, and amnesiac to what she said yesterday.

Probably good crack round the dinner table though.

Ruth has a history of u turns on things. Brexit for a start.

She’s a posturing figurehead, just an empty shell and will bend whichever way Westminster’s wind is blowing while pretending that’s what she was going to do anyway, and amnesiac to what she said yesterday.

Yeah whatever happened to “be a signpost not a weather vane”

She’s in the right place at the right time. A good proportion of Scotland (and about 90% of its media) would still hate “Wee Nippy” if she walked on water while shitting gold bricks. So to make a bit of political headway she just has to capture the “SNPBAD” vote by looking a bit more competent than Labour and the LibDem’s and that’s no great challenge north of the border at the moment.

The fact she looks like potential leadership materials for the Tories as a whole show just how bereft of talent they are and how much of a poison chalice potential players realise governing at this time is.

Intersting aside. The Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney has said Eire will veto any brexit deal unless the terms of the good friday agreement are upheld completely. That rather throws a spanner in the works of the DUP deal

Excuse the source but there is a wee video clip of him saying this. He does not say exactly what the headline says. He doesn’t mention the DUP deal directly

Breaking – Ireland will block #Brexit deal if #MayDUP deal goes ahead

That rather throws a spanner in the works of the DUP deal

Text of DUP deal is published online

…Both parties will adhere fully to their respective commitments set out in the Belfast Agreement and its successors. The Conservative Party reiterates its steadfast support for the Belfast Agreement and its successors and, as the UK government, will continue to govern in the interests of all part of the community in Northern Ireland. The UK government will continue to support close co-operation with the Irish government, and work with them in accordance with the Belfast Agreement and subsequent agreements, while recognising that ultimate responsibility for political stability in Northern Ireland rests with the UK government…

…The DUP will have no involvement in the UK government’s role in political talks in Northern Ireland. It will continue to participate as a party entitled to form part of an Executive following the last Assembly election, as the other parties do.

So they say Ninfan – however the reality is different. Its a real threat from the Irish and there is also a court case ongoing. the UK government have a duty under the GFA to be impartial. How can they favour the DUP like this without breaching that duty.

How much of this extra money will go to areas with SF mps? What other demands are they going to cave into – marching season is upon us and voices in the unionist movement are already calling for previous banned provocative marches to go ahead.

Its another nail in the coffin of the DUP stitchup

So they say Ninfan – however the reality is different.

Given that the ink is barely even dry on the agreement, would you care to present any evidence that either the DUP or the UK Govt are breaching this undertaking of failing to fulfil their obligations under the GFA then TJ.

You can make accusations – however to claim that “the reality is different” so soon sounds like hyperbole, the exact sort of hyperbole that the usual suspects start to come out with whenever they don’t like the outcome of the democratic process.

well that is that then the tories need them to be the Uk government but they wont take that into account in NI and will be going hard after them for the ashgate issue.

That is me convinced then –

TBH this is not even a political point it is just obvious that they have far more influence and it has changed things. It is just what it is irrespective of the parties involved.

lets not forget the cause of all this

The UUP, which has 16 seats in the Northern Ireland assembly compared with the 38 held by Foster’s Democratic Unionist party (DUP), has joined a cross-party effort to seek the first minister’s resignation over the fuel subsidy scheme.

A motion of no confidence in her leadership is being debated on Monday. It was tabled by the nationalist Social Democratic and Labour party (SDLP), with support from the UUP, Alliance party, Green party, Traditional Unionist Voice and People Before Profit Alliance.

Martin McGuinness, the deputy first minister, has called on Foster to step aside amid an investigation into the scheme, which offered financial incentives to farms, businesses and other non-domestic consumers to use biomass boilers that mostly burned wood pellets, as well as solar thermal and heat pumps.

I look forward to the Tory govt impartially deciding on this

To be fair I think a lot of politicians would have done as she has done and cling to power but lets not pretend it has not given the DUP more influence than if they were not needed by the government to pass legislation.

I realise you could just as I realise you dont really believe it

I think a lot of the hysteria needs to chill out on the DUP, no need to speculate, let events run their natural course.

Ninfan – Member
You can make accusations – however to claim that “the reality is different” so soon sounds like hyperbole, the exact sort of hyperbole that the usual suspects start to come out with whenever they don’t like the outcome of the democratic process.

Fair point…but for it to work, not only must justice be done, it must also be seen to be done. Otherwise there can be no trust in the outcome.

however to claim that “the reality is different” so soon sounds like hyperbole, the exact sort of hyperbole that the usual suspects start to come out with whenever they don’t like the outcome of the democratic process.

your goading trolls are absolutely the work of sublime genius its such a shame you use them to prop up arguments that are paper thin

We all know she has more power now as she is needed by the UK government to remain the Uk government

Ninfan earlier

And that is called paying the Dane-geld; but we’ve proved it again and again, that if once you have paid him the Dane-geld you never get rid of the Dane.

Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/r/rudyardkip152250.html

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/06/27/dup-demand-460m-tax-cuts-keep-theresa-may-power-brexit/

The reality is different because there is no way May can or will treat the DUP the same as other parties in NI – indeed the very nature of the agreement is such that she is not treating them equally.

Personally, I won’t be sorry to see the back of this lot.

And more trouble

The scottish government is going to open a formal dispute over the terms of the DUP dealon the grounds it should mean more money for Scotland under Barnett. ~Considering the Scottish secretary Mundell said it would now May says it won’t.

a bit of confusion in the article tho

http://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/nicola-sturgeon-to-formally-dispute-dup-conservative-deal-1-4487833

So let me see. A court case, Eire stating they will block brexit deals, Legal dispute with Scotland

A really well thought thru deal this one wasn’t it

@binners yes £20 on GE before end of 2018. My view is the Tories just won’t hold any controversial votes in 2018. All bland Brexit procedural stuff or things Labour will support, eg domestic violence. Not betting on riots.

So let me see. A court case, Eire stating they will block brexit deals, Legal dispute with Scotland

A really well thought thru deal this one wasn’t it

once again we are a warning to the rest of the world (and the rEU obvs)….

dont try and turn your back on your closest allies, or chaos will ensue

I expect you’ll find Labour proposing amendments galore in that case.

[Ruth Davidson] Very keen on human rights.

Very keen on LGBT rights, anyway.

Indeed Aracer – and I can see amendments being posted designed to split Davidson and the DUP. IE something one will love the other will hate

DrJ – Member

[Ruth Davidson] Very keen on human rights.

Very keen on LGBT rights, anyway.[/quote]But willing to overlook the appalling opinions of anyone she needs to help her into power.

I’m starting to have an admiration for the sheer bare-faced front of this government.

Spend weeks drumming up a tawdry deal with one party in Northern Irelands famously partisan assembly. All to save your sorry arse at the cost of billions.

Then come out the very next day with a statement telling the rest of the parties they need to sort their shit out by tomorrow afternoon

It’d actually be funny, if it wasn’t just yet another part of the enormous almighty cluster**** we’re all stuck in the middle of.

I litteraly do feel, with the Brexit shambles, this, and god knows what else, that I’m sat watching a slow motion car crash, the long term implications of which don’t even bear thinking about. And all to serve the selfish personal interests of the most clueless PM this country has ever seen, and the utter nutjobs she seems hell bent on placating at literally any cost

@aracer it won’t work. Tories aren’t daft and will stick together (plus 3 line whips etc), they won’t get enough dissent to overturn an effective majority of 13. As i said DUP will do all they to keep Corbyn and McDonnell away from power. Deal ensures Queens Speech will pass and thereafter 2018 sessions will be very quiet imho.

@binners a good while longer in ranty opposition I think

As i said DUP will do all they to keep Corbyn and McDonnell away from power.

If that were true there’d be no need for a billion pound bung then…….

… and the Maybot must be the worst negotiator ever!

Jammers…. Tebbit is being interviewed on Five Live. I’m sure you’d be in total agreement with everything he has to say. To those of us in the real world, he seems to be existing in some type of alternative universe.

Apparently we should all be feeeling terribly sorry for poor old Theresa, as she’s under an awful lot of pressure 😆

Hope the bitch is squirming every minute of the day and her nights are very long and devoid of sleep.

In that case why don’t they just have a normal programme of legislation? You can’t have it both ways – if they weren’t vulnerable to votes on amendments then there would be no need for them to limit votes to non controversial issues. It’s not going to be anywhere near as simple as you’re suggesting given they don’t have a majority of 150.

Corbyn has already set out his tactics, and whilst 3 line whips might work for a while, the MPs will get tired of it and as suggested above Labour will be introducing amendments designed to exploit splits in the “coalition”. At some point some MPs will find it impossible to vote against an amendment and then the cracks will start to form.

Tories aren’t daft and will stick together

How did that “sticking together” thing work on the Brexit referedum?

Worth a read:

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/this-dup-deal-turns-the-tables-on-gerry-adams-8cfcw25wl?shareToken=11f220e4265c0a6c56a9ae1b9563e589

Worth a read:

What a pile of bigoted shite.

What a pile of bigoted shite.

calling a persons writing shite is a dyslexo-phobic microagression Darcy, you are a bigot.