I am not , as readers will know, a man easily given to rage. But there are times when it’s tempting to start yelling and screaming. This is one of those moment of temptation.
That poll in the Belfast Telegraph which showed that well over half of people here thought the performance of Stormont, compared to direct rule was bad or very bad. For God’s sake. ‘Compared to direct rule’ – what’s that supposed to mean? Direct rule of the kind we knew during Thatcher’s time? During Blair’s time? During Roy Mason’s time or Humphrey Atkins’s time or Jim Prior’s time? There is, after all, a considerable range of difference in direct rule under those British prime ministers and NI Secretaries. Except the poll is suggesting that direct rule is innately a better system than rule by our elected representatives? In which case we’re conceding what all imperialists work hard at instilling in subject populations: that they are under-developed people, incapable of running their own affairs, so better leave it to important, mature people like those located in London. As for ‘the performance of the NI Assembly’ – again, a carpet-bombing question. No distinctions made, all of the elected representatives are hopeless, close it down, a plague on on all your politicians. So everyone is equally to blame. What kind of substitute for thought and judgment is that?
Why are people saying direct rule would be far better than the hopeless lot in Stormont ? Because that ‘s what the media have been bombarding them with for months now. The fact that it’s highly unlikely that the DUP and Sinn Féin and all other parties are equally at fault doesn’t enter into it. It might be too much like hard work to look at the record and see who encouraged co-operative relationships, who refused to respond to compromise, who resists change to the point where they’ll trigger violence on the streets rather than show leadership.
Two suggestions: one, that the media, especially the print media, stop projected the image of Stormont as an innate failure and wise heads as belonging only to those across the water. And secondly, stop carpet-bombing everything that moves up in Stormont. Be critical in the true sense of the word: analyse and decide who is doing the heavy lifting and who are sleeping on the job. That way we might end up with n electorate who reject that laziest/stupidest of statements: “A plague on both your houses”. Try instead doing your job and help create an electorate that is informed, thoughtful and has self-respect. Oh, and time we were grown-up and let go of Mummy’s apron strings.
Jude
I think the poll is talking about how people feel about direct rule going forward rather than looking back. And voters generally tend to think “well the next lot couldn’t be as bad as this lot.
I know you are keen to suggest that SF are not so much to blame for our state of affairs as the Unionists, but you have to wonder what their real intent is.
Do they want to make a good job of running Northern Ireland?
Yes they need to show the Southern electorate that they are competent in government, but also they don’t want to be seen by their support in the North to be successfully administering British rule (please don’t throw ‘croppies lie down’ at me again!) so it is a bit of a tightrope. If they can see it collapse and somehow blame the DUP they will I think be happy with that.
Totally agree with your assertions here Jude! The Belfast Telegraph’s polls all week were nothing short of a joke. I personally stopped following after Monday. Times must be tough and papers needing sold as scare mongering is in the air. A poll of 1000 odd people making headline news in times of crisis! The one that got me was the percentage who wanted a United Ireland in 20 years … Not now … But 20 years from now! Crystal ball politics as I call it – seemingly the circumstances for a United Ireland must be right in 20 years according to these people … Or according to the Telegraph who propositioned the selections!
As PW is not one who, as the saying has it, ‘takes’ the Belfast Telegraph he was unsure on first reading today’s blog whether the poll refers to direct rule from London or Lesser London, aka, Dublin.
The reason, of course, why he doesn’t take the BT is because he is a TUT man through and through, preferring as he does, his daily constitutional, ‘neat’ on Liffeyside.
Not indeed, Esteemed Blogmeister, that it would make an iota of difference which of the two cities was meant: an iota lying somewhere between a pickle and a toty. For in truth there is nothing in the Free Southern Stateen to put the wind up the devoted BT reader as he/she leans his/her BT on his/her pot of breakfast marmalade..
To look no further than the Foreign Minister of the FSS (cf., Charlie Flanagan). That Charlie Flanagan shares the same initials with the subject of the current khaki-coloured commemorations (cf, cannon fodder) is scarcely a coincidence. It is still a case that when London belches Lesser London apologies.
The FM of the FSS still speaks the same language as the white-headed boyos of Whitehall. Take that nuanced phrase, ‘hit the target’ for instance. When the FM (cf, Charlie Flanagan) was a boy in small pants kicking a can around the school yard, to ‘hit the target’ meant to ‘score a goal’. Not it doesn’t carry the same freight at all, at all. It just means to kick the ball somewhere between the two corner flags, at least it did, the last time PW listened in to a soccer, oops, football game.
The FM of the FSS used this phrase when giving a ‘guarded’ welcome to the RAF’s recent decision to bomb the be-Allah out of parts of the globe where the sandy towel heads are known to ‘congregate’. He (cf Charlie Flanagan) hoped that they would, like the USA, ‘hit the target’ and avoid the civilian sandals on the ground (cf canon fodder)
Thus, on a day that Sweden recognizes Palestine as an independent state, Dublin sings Queen mum (cf mum in the Queen’s English). It has always been thus, not least since, erm, ‘Independence’. Which has a somewhat different meaning on Liffeyside than it does on Planet Earth.
The favourite adjective in use among the sophisticated laptop Liffeysiders to describe this difference is….nuanced (see above). A darling word that, Joxer, a darling word. And a devilishly difficult wee word to grasp. Even Nancy Whiskey herself who whistled through the charts on board the freight train of talent all those years ago, was confused. The intoxicating Nancy, who hailed from Clydeside, was addled by the nuanced difference between ‘whiskey’ and ‘whisky’.
To illustrate the nuanced difference between London and Lesser London, two examples will do. Take the pillar box, that bright red upstanding piece of street furniture. It was the invention of the prosaic postman himself, A. Trollope and it is said the idea came to him during his posting on Liffeyside. (A trollop of a different stripe is credited with the invention of ‘French letters’).
Once Dublin took over from the reins from Rex and Regina in the roaring T’s it immediately painted over the pillar boxes in forty shades of g. Different colour, same message.
The other example, curiously enough, is prompted by Sweden. And has to do with house rather than street furniture. During the Sixties, a common sight to behold in the wardrobes of Eireland was the wooden clothes hanger with the strange monolingual message printed upon it: ‘An tSualainn tir a dheanta’. This is leprechaun/ troll for ‘Made in Sweden’ .
One suspects it was to distinguish it from clothes hangers made of Norwegian wood. And thus might require royalties to be paid to the Beatles. Or, the Moths, or some such business minded pre-Abba group.
Again, different clothes horse, same closed mind.
Perhaps, Eireland was not held in thrall long enough ( a mere 800 years) to Perfidious Albion to develop the syndrome known as Stockholm? (cf Brendan Behan’s The Hostage/An Giall).
Perhaps, The Belfast Telegraph might think of a second poll, even one on April One next.
At long, long last the Belfast Telegraph
Condescends to play ‘Game for a Laugh’
Direct rule from Dublin?
Ditto poll re. RC Lublin?
A naff day for J. Bull to pull his mooncalf.
The Belfast Telegraph poll was probably carried out on the Malone road.
No apparently LucidTalk interviewed over 1000 people from across the whole of the North and various demographics.
Some of them may have been from the Malone Road though. Scum.
I pay absolutely zero attention to polls, according to the last one, isn`t it the case that Nationalists (including the ones who vote for Sinn Féin!) are opposed to Irish independence? The Nationalist population are one of the most politically sophisticated electorates in Europe, we can see through the bluff and bluster. The simple fact is the Unionist parties refused to accept Haas/O`Sullivan, or maybe I imagined that?
There was a border poll in Strabane/Lifford last year. I’m not quite sure of the result (Jude could tell you) but I believe just over 600 of that sophisticated electorate you talk about bothered to vote. Again, I think Jude would know more about it for if memory serves me right he chaired the big debate beforehand. I think Basil McCrea was there voicing the union argument.
I’m flattered you follow my movements (and thinking) so precisely, pz…
Obviously not enough, Jude, as I missed your blog on the outcome of the border poll. I seem to remember John O’Dowd gave a rousing speech during the debate. You told us about it the following day. I’ll not go about it as I know how polls infuriate you sometimes.
Well Jude…whether or not any of these polls are even relevant is worth wondering about.It’s assuming that the Belfast Telegraph is even valid.Let’s face it we’re not all hanging on its predictions or even reading the thing daily.It is a fact though that there would be a general consensus that our politicians as a group have not come out smelling of roses.I do believe that having all been granted a new opportunity to have a real go at being proper democrats that unionism and in particular the DUP have proven they are not even sure what democracy entails.They have constantly acted like fools and buffoons and have turned our process into a series of stunts and circus acts.In that respect even sidestepping the likes of Poots and McCausland who should have been laughed out of the building long ago the agenda still appears to be a lot of juvenile demonstration that anyone with a brain would see to be childish and trite triviality.Give the other parties like Sink Fein and Alliance their due….they have attempted to work the systems as political adults suppressing their dislike of the mad creationists and actually treatingthm as rational sentient thinking beings.That ‘s a tough call. I do believe that no one wants direct rule again but we may get it for a while until a few hard regions are made for us….
Sorry about the errors Jude …I’m on one of those wee hudl keypads and this is slow and tedious typing..I do get the impression that even if there was a united Ireland voted for tomorrow by a solid majority that elements within “democratic” unionism would fight that democracy and even back an armed resistance to it..All the signs are there.
Hi Jude,
I believe if you cannot do the job and are incompetent, give it back to “The Professionals”, they note they are making a right pigs arse of it.
Watched RTE1 politics show this morning the people are up in arms over the water rates, the one thing we have an abundance of we could export it for goodness sake!
But the one thing that made my ears sit up was 52% tax. I am still getting over the shock, and that was on earnings over €30.000 and you want a UI are you mad.
Love as always Norma
That should be ….a few hard decisions are made for us……dammit….
I agree with you totally Jude, it is lazy journalism designed to produce a cheap, shallow headline based on false preconceptions for the “jelly brained”.
I suppose you have to consider that roughly 50% of the population (including journalists) are vehemently oppossed to a United Ireland and if they see that the Assembly may eventually be a stepping stone to that realisation they are unlikely to be lauding its achievements.
It is unfortunate but in our bipolar society everyone is either for or against the border and that view will be reflected in their outlook and those enlightened enough (like most on this site) will be able to sift the motives of the journalist or editorial outlook of the organ responsible.
I wonder can we look forward to a new headline next week “Poll reveals view that “themuns is getting everything”!
Journalists on the daily paper that is supposed to support a united Ireland are every bit as bad. As long as SF is the dominant party every Assembly story will be twisted to show SF in a bad light.Their editorials cannot even criticise welfare cuts lest it wouldshow SF to be correct.Virtually every story has an anti SF slant accompanied by a lurid headline which would do the worst British tabloid proud.Every dissident crank is given a platform to spout utter crap as long as it embarasses SF and yet they have the cheek to claim that the paper opposes “those who would drag us back to the past”. If uncritical sensationalist reporting is “opposition” ,what would support be like. My enemy’s enemy is my friend would seem to be the policy in Donegal street.
Michael C
Why are you so timid in naming the Irish News?There seems to be an element of paranoia in your comment above.If the paper is so rabidly anti Sinn Fein why does it feature columns from Jim Gibney and Jarlath Kearney?Need I remind you that the last paper which was very much pro S F ceased to publish through lack of readers.Jude as one of its columnists can enlighten you more!You obviously overestimate the power of the press,as Sinn Fein s vote continues to grow.