I was watching an online version of the NI21 electoral broadcast last night. If you haven’t seen it, look out for it. It’s a humdinger – truly original. Although I thought the last little segment was a wee bit ponderous. Anyway, judge for yourself. But it set me thinking about the advantages of walking forward as opposed to walking backwards. Walking forwards gives you at least a chance you’ll get somewhere. Walking backwards ensures you’ll lose the ground you had and probably clunk your head against a lamp-post into the bargain.
What’s that, Virginia? Stop talking in bloody metaphors? OK. Let me be more literal. NI21 are a unionist party. They make no bones about that. But they’re also a unionist party with a sense of humour (not something you meet every day). They’re a unionist party that isn’t scared stiff of the Irish language. And they’re a unionist party that isn’t scared stiff of Catholics – in fact they’ve got a very attractive one on a lot of their billboards. To top it all, they’ve got two civilised, intelligent men leading their party – Basil McCrea and John McAllister. I say ‘civilized’ because they’ve no inhibitions about talking to, shaking hands with, exchanging the normal civilities of life with republicans. That’s not much? It is in this twisted little apoplectic corner of Ireland.
Contrast that with the behaviour of another unambiguously unionist party: the DUP. As Gerry Adams was being arrested last week, the DUP were attending a social evening thrown for them by David Cameron, with all sorts of goodies for munching and drinking, and Cameron’s kids playing around and mingling with the guests. Top treatment. Quite a contrast, eh? Do you think did the news of Adams’s arrest inhibit the DUP delegation, make the food turn to ashes in their mouths, turn the drink into something sour and acidic? You must be joking. For sure they were informed that back home Adams had been arrested, and for sure the news added a sweetness and flavour to every mouthful and swig.
So David Cameron has fallen suddenly in love with the DUP. Why so? Because David is going to the polls in a year’s time and right now there’s a fighting chance they may end up with a hung parliament, so (cover your ears, Virginia) that could mean the DUP MPs hold the balance of power. If it happens, will they use that leverage to encourage David Cameron to help the north move on? Um, no. They’ll use it to pressure David Cameron into measures that’ll support them in the art of walking backwards, with all its self-damaging consequences.
So here’s my 9 May wish ( I know you don’t get wishes granted on 9 May, but it makes as much sense as walking backwards): that the DUP will somehow learn from NI21 the things that civilised politicians do, such as talking, shaking hands, smiling, discussing as distinct from hectoring or lecturing political opponents. Fifteen years after the Good Friday Agreement, the DUP still haven’t learnt how to be shake hands with republicans, their partners in government. Brooding, contemptuous, berating – think of a negative adjective and it’ll sit comfortably with the DUP attitude.
Contrasts all round, then. Contrast between NI21’s electoral broadcast and all others. Contrast between Gerry Adams banged up in Antrim Police Station and David Cameron sucking up to the DUP at a social evening; ; contrast between being civilised and being boorish. Finally and most importantly, contrast between those who are determined, in the face of reactionary wind, to move forward; and those who hanker after a we-run-the-show dispensation of yesteryear and think they’ll arrive at it by marching smartly backwards.
Lá dár saol is ea é.
The suspect: “Is it about a bicycle?”
The first policeman: “What do you mean?”
The second policeman: “Where are you going with this?”
The suspect: “I see, you want to talk about the destination.”
The second policeman: “Speed it up, we haven’t got all day.”
The suspect: “Tempus fugit.”
The first policeman: “Translate, please.”
The suspect: “Le do thoil.”
The third policeman: “We are concerned about the readings next door!! Be a good
man, let’s get back to the start.”
The suspect: “I thought you wanted to deal with the destination?”
The third policeman: “I’ll need to get more time.”
The suspect: “Where do you get the time from, if that is not a classified class
of a question?”
The third policeman: “It’s near closing time and I want to retire early, away with you,
but I’ll be after watching you!!’
lolar
I see what you’re getting at.
Gerry is the suspect and the bicycle represents the IRA. His molecules have intermingled with the ‘bicycle’ so much that it is impossible to say which is which. Good stuff.
Jude you really crack me up you really do!
Which is good because this has been a really long day.
Jude, you took a few steps backward yourself with the sexist quip ‘in fact they’ve got a very attractive one on a lot of their billboards’. What does your opinion of Ms McKenzie’s appearance matter to the debate about party politics and campaign tactics?
sexist quip, Barbara? Are you kidding? So it’s sexist to say a woman on a billboard is attractive? I know the world’s gone mad but not that mad. I agree her appearance matters little to the debate or maybe even campaign tactics; but physical appearance DOES matter in politics. I say this as a bald-headed man who can never become President of the US…
No Jude and Yes Virginia, it is sexist when you focus on the behavior and qualities of male candidates, and only the appearance of a female one. You don’t discuss whether she is ‘walking forward or backward’, or mentiobn how the guys look on their billboards. If appearance matters, than be even-handed in assessing how the candidates and parties measure up. Your argument for ‘civilised’ forward looking politics would be much stronger without the gender bias.
Barbara – well argued. I’m half-inclined to agree with you – I’m probably an unreconstructed sexist pig. At the same time I’m not sure that N121 – about which I’ve written – didn’t notice how she looked when they put a large image of her on the billboards. Come to think of it, why put an image up anyway – isn’t that distracting from the message of the party? My fear would be that in our concern to avoid offending anyone – in this case being sexist – we’d reduce what we have to say to careful, mooching prose. It’d be a bit like the impact of child abuse on educators: teachers now make sure never to be in a room alone with a child, never touch a child – all the reasonable closeness and warmth has been squeezed out because concern with abuse trumps everything. So if I’m not allowed to mention that a woman is attractive, I must go off and think up what I’ll say the next time the present Mrs Collins asks me if her bum looks big in this…
Jude, I see it as progress that you are ‘half-inclined’ to accept my argument, despite the ‘reactionary wind’ that blows through your response. So, I acknowledge your reluctant step forward. As you say, ‘walking forwards gives you at least a chance you’ll get somewhere’.
I share your wish for more mature, ‘civilised’ political climate, and appreciate the need to hold public figures accountable for their behaviour Progress depends on much more that whether a few men are getting along atop their patriarchal posts. What we need is a dynamic political debate that respects differences and encourages participation. Your preoccupation with the unionist-nationalist divide has blinded you to the glaring gender-gap that slows our progress. Hold on to your seat Jude, but what is truly ‘boorish’ and ‘uncivilised’ is the lad culture that disregards women as equal partners. I suggest you heed your own advice and let go of your macho ‘we-run-the-show dispensation of yesteryear’. Women have a significant stake in building a shared future. (Yes Virginia, it is true, women are 52% of the population.)
Not to distract you with facts, but a recent report prepared for the Northern Ireland Assembly addresses the status of women in politics. It found that the “prevalence of men in political power generates a culture that is male, which can exclude or deter women” (NIAR 570-13). This inhospitable culture is not confined to MLAs at Stormont. It is visible in all aspects and levels of politics. Yes Virginia, even the work of media pundits. When political commentary applies a double standard to judge male and female politicians it compounds the problem. As does using the same ‘hectoring and lecturing’ you criticise in others to deflect my concern about your gender-biased comments. (Mind that lamp-post man!)
Finally, I suggest a minor edit to your own words will serve as a fine conclusion. I have taken the liberty of updating your last sentence by replacing ‘DUP’ with ‘men/male’, and ‘republican’ with ‘women’. Virginia, don’t cover your ears, you’ll want to hear this…
‘Fifteen (sic) years after the Good Friday Agreement, men still haven’t learnt how to shake hands with women, their partners in government. Brooding, contemptuous, berating – think of a negative adjective and it’ll sit comfortably with the male attitude’.
Jude, my good man, we are all in this together. You can’t walk forward alone.
Barbara for his sins Jude might be sectarian and anti unionist he certainly isn’t sexist… ; )
Put me mind of this: http://youtu.be/FlUrBBDaO8k
NI21 are quite simply the future of pro-UK politics in Northern Ireland. Basil McCrea is visionary, intelligent, witty, sincere and has more integrity in his little finger than most of the other MLAs combined. But he is also brave – he does not shy away from important issue highlighted perfectly by his speech in the ‘belly of the beast’ at SF’s Summer School and got a great reception as a result:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PscBA6CjAls
He is someone Catholics could get behind.
The DUP/UUP in contrast are incapable of seeing beyond the tip of their noses and don’t give a fiddlers about unionism 10, 20 or 50 years from now because if they did they wouldn’t be behaving the way they are in the here and now and allowing the anti-Catholic stranglehold of the Loyal Orders to dominate their parties. It is ludicrous that in 2014 our First Minister is more concerned with the local Grand Master than the electorate who put him there in the first place…I mean the unelected, unrepresentative ‘Reverend’ Gibson at The Haass Talks, what were they thinking?
Whether they like it or not the Catholic majority is here and what do Catholics not do? That’s right, you guessed it, they don’t vote DUP/UUP in any significant numbers – 1% combined according to the NILT. Where does that leave them 10, 20 or 50 years from now?
Reminds me of a tome long ago when two cops asked me what I was wearing…….”Balls said….”
Maybe when the DUP and the Tories were guffawing along together at their little gathering they should have been keeping a closer eye on bond yields
http://www.theguardian.com/business/2014/may/09/irish-10-year-bond-yields-drop-below-uk
I don`t think Jude meant anything when he referred to an attractive Catholic, might as well say he was being anti Catholic. Quite disturbing to hear about Cameron having a Hyacinth Bucket supper with the `good` Paddies, Romance is in the air though, with Jamie Bryson exchanging information with the lovely Kate Howie, regarding the otrs or royal pardons or some such piffle. Jamie has had his car impounded for non payment of parking fines.
“Twisted little apoplectic corner of Ireland” that is sad and slightly cruel.
…But not too far from the truth , really…..
It’s sad, Virginia, but not cruel. I didn’t make it that way.
I think the leaders of NI21 are good, decent men and they are the way forward for those who support union with Britain. They argue their case and are not eaten up with bitterness and hypocrisy. They do not pretend to be morally superior to Republicans, and argue their corner without resorting to seventeenth century rhetoric. My only complaint is they haven`t, as far as I am aware, confronted the anti Catholic nature of the English royal family`s outdated prejudiced rules of succession. If Britain ever becomes a secular society then they may be onto something as far as attracting Catholic votes goes. Until then, Catholics will be unlikely to vote for union with a nation that makes it clear they are considered second class because of their faith.
Another Jude; You raise the question that NI21 haven’t “confronted the anti Catholic nature of the English royal family`s outdated prejudiced rules of succession.” Perhaps I have been hiding under a rock since the Good Friday Agreement and this issue has been a real deal breaker in relation to NI moving forward towards normalisation and a level headed approach to every day and economic enhancement? As a Catholic and a very active supporter of NI21 it has never crossed my mind that the question of succession may be something holding us back from an inclusive future free from bigotry and hatred. A place where the hate politics of some of our political parties becomes a modus operandi for the history books only. I can’t think of a solitary Catholic who wouldn’t vote NI21 purely on the reason that they don’t know who members of the Royal family can and can’t marry in the future. I am very pleased to say that I doubt very much that when Basil and David sat down to put pen to paper and plan out the way they saw the future of our country – they thought to write a stance about who Prince George can or cannot marry without it affecting his succession.
Saw their election broadcast and while they gave all parties a dig which is fair enough,I had to commend them on their sinking of the stoops.They referred to them as ” that party lead by the doctor” When the 2nd speaker asked “doctor who?” .the first replied “exactly”!
I don’t often agree with Jude Collins, but this article is pretty good