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 go somewhere. Walking backwards ensures you’ll lose the ground you have 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 usual civilities with republicans. That’s not much? It is in this twisted little apoplectic corner of Ireland.
Contrast NI21 behaviour with that of another unambiguously unionist party: the DUP. As Gerry Adams was being arrested last week, the DUP were attending a social evening thrown by David Cameron, with all sorts of goodies for munching and drinking, and Cameron’s kids gambolling 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 mouth, turn the drink into something sour and acidic? You must be joking. For sure they were informed that back home, Adams had been locked up, and you may be sure the news added a sweetness and flavour to every mouthful and swig.
So David Cameron has fallen 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 that they may get a hung parliament, with (cover your ears, Virginia) the DUP MPs holding the balance of power. Will they use that leverage to encourage David Cameron in his efforts to help the north move on? Um, no. They’ll use it to pressure Cameron into measures that’ll aid 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 shouting at your political opponents. Fifteen years after the Good Friday Agreement, the DUP still haven’t learnt how to be civil 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 Gerry Adams banged up in Antrim Police Station and David Cameron sucking up to the DUP at a social evening; contrast between NI21’s electoral broadcast and all others; contrast between being civilised and being boorish. Finally, contrast between those who are determined, in the face of a reactionary wind, to move forward; and those who hanker after a we-run-the-show dispensation and convinced they’ll arrive at it by marching smartly backwards.
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