Despite claiming he lied, the DUP is still asking Boris Johnson for help

Jeffrey Donaldson (DUP leader) and Boris Johnson


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As I’ve argued before, there’s nothing that complicated about politics in the north of Ireland. Nor is there anything that complicated about the DUP’s latest efforts to collapse the power sharing government (called Stormont) in the north. Put simply, this is damage limitation for the DUP’s Brexit balls up and the notorious Northern Ireland Protocol (NIP) that followed.

This self-inflicted harm is costing the DUP quite severely. Brexit has weakened its precious union. And according to opinion polls, it’s losing voter support. This is support which it’ll want to regain ahead of elections in the north scheduled for 5 May 2022. The DUP’s response to this self-inflicted shambles? Appeal to a lying Boris Johnson, who it also claims lied to them over the NIP, for help:

Consequences?

The DUP effectively collapsed the government in the north when its first minister Paul Givan resigned on 3 February. And it may not even have the three months between now and May to put things right. To begin with, its current government partner Sinn Féin is calling for early elections:

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But even if those elections don’t come early, according to opinion polls, Sinn Féin looks set to become the largest single party in the north. Moreover, Givan’s resignation has serious consequences, because it means local government can’t approve future spending on schools and hospitals. Additionally, an official apology to victims of institutional abuse won’t now happen in March, as was initially planned.

A quick reminder on Brexit

Despite not being able to convince a majority of people in the north of Ireland to vote Leave, we can’t forget the sordid role the DUP played in promoting Brexit in 2016. And there were plenty of people to remind the DUP of this and how it’s now trying to avoid blame:

The DUP’s Brexit position has been described as “a huge strategic error”:

But RTE‘s David McCullagh was on the ball in pointing out DUP contradictions to MP Gavin Robinson:

We’ve been here before

There’s nothing new in the DUP collapsing Stormont. It last collapsed it in January 2017 when Arlene Foster refused to step aside pending an investigation into the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) financial scandal. And the absolute stupidity of the DUP appealing to a British prime minister isn’t new either:

Comedian Jake O’Kane summed up the DUP’s position perfectly:

 

The DUP lost two of its MPs at the 2019 general election. It’s currently performing poorly in the polls. And if those polls are reflected in the next Stormont elections, Sinn Féin will become, for the first time ever, the largest party in Stormont. It would then hold the position of first minister – also for the first time ever.

It could be too late for the DUP to undo this self-inflicted electoral damage. But appealing to a lying prime minister, when the mainstream English media appears to care so little about Stormont, reads like an act of desperation. It would serve the people of the north a lot better if the DUP dropped its Brexit rhetoric and helped tackle the serious issues that probably matter most to voters.

Featured image via RTE News – YouTube Screengrab & The Telegraph – YouTube Screengrab

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  • Show Comments

    1. Despite claiming he lied, the DUP is still asking Boris Johnson for help
      //
      WELL, D.U.P. party members my question to you M.P. do you agree Boris should be allowed to keep his job and continue lying to us voter in the U.K. and possibly to your voter in N-Ireland as well yes or no?
      //
      You in the D.U.P. party that claim two wages one form N-Ireland Govt
      One from our British taxpayer U.K. Govt plus expenses of U.K. Taxpayer
      Is this why you are supporting Boris now in his bad time of lying to the British Govt plus us British voters, so you wages keep coming to your all only you are prepared to let him keep lying to us in U.K. and the N-Ireland people just for cash payments D.U.P. party members.
      //
      The days of you having your cake and eating all of it time &time again are over in politics now so defending Boris D.U.P. party members just for cash will cost you voters in N-Ireland and British taxpayer money help when we NON, Tory voter British voter in the U.K. kick out Boris & Tory party from power next G.E. or before 2024-time frame.
      Concluding
      To all part of the U.K. Wales-Scotland -N-Ireland Boise lied to us public plus parliament so should go now he is also Wasting our public money British taxpayer on an invention that will possibly prove he lied to us all time & time again so now he should go voters.

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