In the past I have blogged on Mike Nesbitt, leader of the Ulster Unionist Party, including one blog which I titled ‘Is Mike Nesbitt mad?’ When I met him at an event for young Ulster Unionists he stressed that he wasn’t and I agreed he seemed at the time reasonable sane. And I felt cheered further when I saw an article in today’s News Letter headed ‘Unionism must go the extra mile’ , written by by Mike himself. What’s this? A unionist politician proposing that unionism stretch itself to understand political opponents? At last, at last.
On closer examination, though, more alas than at last. Mike’s first sentence is “It is important for unionist leaders to present a united front on the world stage”. So despite all the calls for people here to deal with “real issues” like employment and housing and education, the important thing for Mike is unity among unionists. His third sentence refers to a visit to Brussels by Martin McGuinness last month: “Appropriately, he [McGuinness] disguised himself as a horrible and frightening character – in this case by allowing himself to be described as the ‘Joint First Minister of the north of Ireland Executive’ “.
This is in sharp contrast to the UUP’s Jim Nicholson who is, Mike says, a “long-serving, well-respected and highly influential MEP,” After that there’s some Gerry Kelly-bashing, followed by reference to the aborted Maze/Long Kesh centre: “It was always going to be a shrine, he [Martin McGuinness] just cannot accept terrorism is terrorism.” And then there’s a bit about needing to guard that no “foreign government” has a say in the north’s “internal government”, although he’s happy that Charlie Flanagan has assured him that won’t happen.
So what is that extra mile Mike has in mind? It’s the extra mile of making clear to everyone that unionism’s point of view is the only one that counts. It also consists of “appropriately” insulting Martin McGuinness and Gerry Kelly. He’s upset with the former for daring to allow himself to be referred to as the Joint First Minister (I thought he was) and for allowing our little stateen to be referred to as “the north of Ireland” ( which it is, as distinct from ‘the Province’, which it isn’t). The latter – Gerry Kelly – he denounces for having been involved in violent acts during the years of the Troubles.
Is Mike Nesbitt mad? Not a bit. He’s actually an intelligent man. He knows exactly how this kind of circle-the-wagons-kick-the-shunners talk will go down with his constituents come election time. Gregory Campbell did something similar when he curried his yoghurt the other day.
So yes, Mike, I withdraw my question: you are not mad. But you’re doing the opposite of what you should be doing, which is trying to find common ground so that old wounds and enmities here can begin to heal. Worse than that, you’re trying to do the impossible when you attempt to position yourself to the right of Gregory Campbell.
No, Mike, you’re not mad. But you are sad.
What do you expect from someone who fronted UTV news at the height of the troubles?
I’m still waiting to see his unionist narrative of the ‘troubles’. It would be great to be able to test it against events that occurred and things people said when they had the unionist hegemony between 1921 and 1971. I dare say it should be easy for him to write it, as an ex-journalist; better, his wife, Linda, the aspiring politician could write it to show her unionist credentials.
Jude, I always find it dispiriting that gentlemen such as Nesbitt, McCausland and Dodds (all Oxbridge educated) continue to inhabit an unexpanded universe. They have mixed with some of the most intellectually inquisitive only to return to the dreary spires completely uninspired to challenge Unionism’s small mindedness. I mean, Mike preferred to walk away from Hass’s compromise and into the arms of Billy Hutchinson ( self-confessed…you know)) for his graduated response photo shoot. If that isn’t depressing, I don’t know what is.
Freddy
You say ” into the arms of Billy Hutchinson”.
What did you mean exactly? Is he BH any different from Gerry Kelly, Martin McGuiness…. I don’t think MN comes with any of that tainted baggage, that I find repugnant. Fronting UTV during the troubles, the mind boggles, you expect the loyalist unionists people to put up with quite a lot.
Billy Hutchison is no different to Nesbit or Dodds etc. They are all on the same team they just conveniently never admit it. The sooner nationalists open their eyes and realise this the better. Loyalists allow themselves to be used by Nesbit etc as a some kind of ‘terrorist’ barometer they can attack republicans with. Ie ‘loyalists were as bad as a republicans blah blah’.
This permit’s them the possibility to lecture and to seize the moral ground.
Violent loyalism allow these’moderate’ unionists to distance themselves from them but in reality the dogs in the street know that violent loyalism was and will continue to be part of the hidden branch of the British state. Any unionist who claims they don’t know this is a liar. When a pat finucane,Sam Marshall or sheena Campbell were being killed during the conflict, unionists at the time, who are MLA’s now, were glowing in their delight at such acts. In a ironic kind of way it could be argued gerry Adams, when he denies membership of the IRA, is doing what a lot of leading unionists figures done and do ie they were not involved in any violent organisations.
Loyalism in real terms dont hijack the poppy as some have alluded to. In fact they have every right to be associated with the poppy for obvious reasons…….and long may it continue lest we forget; )
Jude – Talk about going the extra mile!!you meant figuratively – I’m talking literally!!
Did you know Mike and Peter are off to Brussels to plead the Unionist cause?
http://eurofree3.wordpress.com/2014/11/09/shambolic-northern-ireland-talks/
Interestingly the EU parliament is debating NI this Wednesday . The plenary will vote on two resolutions on Thursday, one possibly on the lack of progress in the NI peace process.
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/news-room/content/20141107STO78013/html/EP-this-week-Northern-Ireland-Cyprus-Moldova-agreement-and-passenger-data
PS further to the EU involvement in “are wee pravince” please do have a look at what Martina Anderson wrote on Slugger
http://sluggerotoole.com/2014/11/10/martina-anderson-the-days-of-the-british-state-granting-impunity-to-its-own-are-coming-to-an-end/?
Less Byronic, more bubonic
Byron was mad, bad and dangerous to know
The likes of Reich Mike still has a ways to go
The best bitt
’bout Nesbitt
He’s sad, not (?) bad, and no stranger to ‘No!’
Go h-iontach ar fad, Perkie!
Jude, Mike has been such a disappointment in my opinion. Maybe its because I grew up seeing him on the TV as a kid (of course I wasn’t listening to the news, I was more into Pokémon or Power Rangers then) but when Mike came to be leader of the UUP I actually thought this was the start of a change for the good in a section of Unionism, PROGRESSIVE Unionism. How wrong I was.
Mike has been trying to outdo his DUP rivals in the Unionist bigotry and hypocrisy contest. When the Haass talks was in progress he said “We are 90% there” but then he completely refused to accept the proposals because the extremists within Unionism didn’t like it (the DUP were even passing drafts of the haass proposals to the likes of flag protestor Jamie Bryson in a hotel toilet in order to get his “permission” or maybe someone elses?).
Mikes (and also the DUP’s) repeated calls of no “foreign” interference (Irish or American, it would seem) in the internal matters of the north is another example of Unionism engaging in the siege mentality of the past, even though the Irish Government is co-guarantors to the GFA (which Mikes party supported). It seems to me Unionists fear the presence of the Irish and Americans in the talks process, after all, the Irish or Americans aren’t after DUP votes when it comes to the General Election next year in westminister, like the tories are.
Mike really is no better as leader of the UUP as Tom Elliot was. I’m still of the opinion that Basil McCrea would’ve been a great leader of the UUP and would’ve finally brought a section of Unionism out of the 17th century and into the 21st.
TV Mike ….What can I say? I suppose I expected more from him. To be educated and still maintain conservative views always struck me as a bit odd.It’s as if you missed out on all the good stuff that hides in the cracks and only found the most obvious things. It ‘s almost like an awful bloody waste.I don’t really think you can join the OUP and be anything other than a die-hard conservative….never mind having the constriction of running the party.I absolutely know what Freddy means.There is not one live-wire politician who seems to be anything other than dreary and devoid of new thinking….new radical schemes and ideas that will bring fresh light.Why bother getting an education to come out looking as fed-up and uninspired as Mr Nigel Dodds? he always appears to be a bad grumpy mood and in need of an Alka Seltzer.Maybe it’s that thing about education again.Many leave university with one narrow discipline and no education at all.You can’t beat imagination into everyone after all…and that’s really what is sorely lacking.How else can you explain some of the mad hide-bound views wrapped up in ultra conservative religious beliefs like Creationism for example.It’s that need to think creatively from inside that’s simply not there.If it was it would already be very obvious.
Perhaps, Paddykool, you are a wee bit too harsh on Nigel D. ?
Scantily glad Nige may have, after all, good reason to be preternatually sad, baddish and grumpy to know. Not to mention maintaining an unshakeable fed-up and uninspired air about himself which even a consignment of Alka Seltzer delivered to him on a penny farthing bicycle by a scantily clad Elsie from Chelsea would fail to dispelsie.
The Elsie with that ‘shall there be anything elsie, guv?’ look on her fabulous face. Yes, that one.
One might even know the answer. Starting with the letter Z. Z for zoological gardens.
Whenever Perkie’s fawning inner fauna enthusiast visits a strange city his first p. of call is always the local zoo, to pay his respects to his remote and not so r. ancestors. And the first three enclosures he invariably makes a bee-line for, are:
1. The Primates’ enclosure.
2. The Reptiles’ enclosure.
and last but not east,
3. The Kangaroo enclosure.
There is never less than a lot for him to ponder in each of the three. The first two enclosures cover the broad spectrum of human behaviour with perhaps the emphasis on the extrovert side of h. nature in the first and on the introverted side in the second.
The third enclosure would serve a more specific purpose, i.e., what little Perkie has learned about the intricacies of the judicial system he has learned here.
But, for the purposes of the topic in hand, one will restrict himself to the first enclosure. In Dublin zoo (pronounced a-zoo in the Dublin dialect) there hangs a portrait, no not by its tail, but by a nail of a former head keeper of yore and of this enclosure which houses both the Primates of Africa and also the the Primates of All-Africa.
There was something about the surname of this head keeper from bygone days which seemed extraordinarily apt (to Perkie’s inner philologist at least): Mr. Supple. Though the grumpy look in his pained and painted countenance might well be explained by the subject’s projected thoughts into the future, even as he sat and the anonymous artist captured it on canvas.
Thoughts, as to what his descendants might think about the location of Greatgrandaddy Supple’s portrait. Think, possibly yes, but thanks, probably not.
Ditto with Nige. Whose portrait – though even his nearest and d. would scarcely accuse him of being an, erm, oil painting – hangs in the vestibule of the now newish Primates’ Enclosure in Belfast’s Bellevue Zoo on the slopes of Cave Hill, overlooking the city of blogs, trogs and calebs.
Seemingly on account of his doing the honours, as top dog in local government at the time, when this then new facility was opened. No doubt with dosh from the posh coffers of Queenie-aye-o whose One is eternally awash.
Or at least, it was to be seen hanging there as high as Roddy McCorley himself when Perkie was doing his David Attenborough impresh there, was it eight years ago, now? Perhaps it no longer hangs there. On account perchance of a petition having been drawn up by the premanent residents regarding the ineptitude of the hanging. If not the inaptittude itself.
Either way, no gainsaying the fact that Nige has at least a prima facie case for being as grumpy as one of Snowhite’s seven little helpers of restricted growth.
Incidentally, wasn’t the Primate of All Africa (or was it just of Africa) in the not too d. past, one Archbishop Ndodo ?
Perkie cannot sign off with praising the domestic farm in the grounds of Bellevue. Loved the miniature donkeys there along with the Gloucestershire Old Spot piglets. Seems like somethings never change.
A pity though about the art deco ballroom on the grounds, the Floral Hall. Which was derelict when PW had a decko at it. He understands that the Small Faces’ tribute band, drawn from the ranks of the don’t rock the boat wing of the DUP were the last group to play there. Called the Small Minds.
Hence the dereliction?
Perish the very thought ! says Perkie.
Well Mighty Perk …You are one commentator whose imaginings truly delve into the cracks where other less adventurous explorers of the human continent ,fear to tread.I’m just now imagining the blessed faces of the massed faithful at a DUP conference….or even an OUP conference…should you be invited to give the brethren an inspirational gee-up talk……….?
More unionist “outreach” in action to win over the hearts and minds of Nationalists –> working superbly as evidenced By the fact that unionism has now been rendered so impotent that they can’t even get a flag up on City Hall in Belfast on their own terms – and that’s while unionists are still (but only by a small – and diminishing margin, mind you) the majority.
Keep up the excellent work Mike – you’re a good help in getting the Nationalist vote out. Nationalist majority already By 2020 and a Nationalist electoral majority By the mid-2020’s. Who knows, if Mike keeps up the good work, might even need to bring forward those dates By a few years.
er sorry the nationalist vote has actually fallen over the last few elections still I would never stop you from having a good rant!
“And faith unfaithful kept him falsely true.” Tennyson
This sounds like someone who wishes to walk an extra mile in a square circle. There is a lack of logic in an article that highlights the role of a Member of the European Parliament and then proceeds to caution readers about ‘foreign governments’ having a say in the north of Ireland. Ireland joined the European Economic Community in 1972 and the European Parliament continues to influence all aspects of daily life in this part of the world. This includes the requirement to investigate all breaches of Human Rights Legislation.
It would appear that Gratiano is about to make one more appearance on the stage.
I hope the British are dragged over the coals regarding their shameful record of murder and cover up in this little mini statelet. We have been drip fed a steady diet of stories about IRA actions over the course of the war, nothing ever mentioned about British murders, whether in or out of official uniforms. Britain just ignores these directives normally, it will be interesting to see what their reaction is now. Maybe THAT`S why they are always moaning about getting out of the EU?
Yes of course nobody ever talks about Bloody Sunday or Ballymurphy do they?