![Northern Ireland [right]](img/ni.gif)
20th April 2005
Why Vote Conservative in NI? (The Full Story)
Thanks to Aaron Scullion at Slugger O'Toole for pointing out that the BBC has kept copies of of Party Election Broadcasts*, available to download. With the help of this store, I have followed up on yesterday's post on the Northern Ireland Conservatives. So why should we vote Conservative...?
- Punish Tony Blair's Broken Promises
Tony Blair isn't much more popular here than he is in England. A vote for the Conservatives, they say, will ensure Tony Blair is not rewarded for 8 years of broken promises and failure.The Conservatives are the only party standing in Northern Ireland that can form a UK government. - Save our Schools
On day one, a Conservative Secretary of State for Northern Ireland will bin the Costello Report. Our grammar schools will be safe and the wish of the majority of people who responded to the Department of Education's "referendum", ie to see some form of academic selection retained, will be secured, providing opportunity for all. - Get Rid of Waste in Northern Ireland Government
The Conservatives will implement an Independent Efficiency Review of NI government. All Northern Ireland government departments will be looked at in an effort to cut the huge waste that takes place in government in Northern Ireland. . I would suggest one of the first things they do is reduce the number of members in any future assembly from 108 to 72 (from 6 per constituency to 4). They say all the savings would go into improving "frontline public services" and lowering taxes here - who can argue with that? - A Comprehensive Settlement
The Conservatives want a comprehensive settlement for Northern Ireland. This would include, ideally, a devloved assembly to run local matters from Northern Ireland. They make it clear that there will be no place in government for "any party that is linked to an armed and active terrorist organisation" and that such parties would not have a veto on progress. - Accountability - Whether Local Parties Work or Not
In the absence of said assembly, they will make Direct Rule more accountable. Again this is something that all the parties want, but as members of a national party with the potential to form a government, would they be in more of a position to deliver on this promise?
I'll repeat what I said yesterday. If you want to send a message to the local parties and their usual suspects that you're sick and tired of all their fighting and bickering, voting Conservative (where they're standing) could well be one way to do it.
* To see the Party Election Broadcasts, go to the BBC's Election 2005 site and check out their "Election News in Video" section.
The Northern Ireland Conservatives are standing in East Belfast, North Down and Strangford
Comments:
Comment from:
Aaron [Visitor]
· http://www.sluggerotoole.com
Thanks for the mention, that's a nice round-up. I've been a bit confused over the Tory approach to Ni, that's help clear it up for me.
20th April 2005 @ 16:31
Comment from:
beano [Member]
· http://www.everythingulster.com
Aye - I should write their manifesto! lol
20th April 2005 @ 16:49
Comment from:
Chris Logan [Visitor]
· http://egoletters.blogspot.com
Hello to you too.
Beano,
I meant that all the Westminster parties are irrelevant until two things happen, 1. Labour and the Liberal Democrats field candidates but more importantly 2. we stop voting along our usual Unionist/Nationalist lines because the Westminster 3 have no chance until then.
Then again, the Westminster parties standing for election here would only confirm Northern Ireland as part of the union. Likewise, Unionists would see parties from the Republic taking part in our elections as a move towards a united Ireland. Frankly, it's a no win situation.
Beano,
I meant that all the Westminster parties are irrelevant until two things happen, 1. Labour and the Liberal Democrats field candidates but more importantly 2. we stop voting along our usual Unionist/Nationalist lines because the Westminster 3 have no chance until then.
Then again, the Westminster parties standing for election here would only confirm Northern Ireland as part of the union. Likewise, Unionists would see parties from the Republic taking part in our elections as a move towards a united Ireland. Frankly, it's a no win situation.
20th April 2005 @ 18:51
Comment from:
Paul [Visitor]
· http://www.nimagyar.blogspot.com
The pity is that both Unionist parties are conservative in their outlook towards such subjects as education.
The parties that do claim to represent the Unionist working class are simply fronts for the the terrorists and aren't an option.
If the constitutional position of NI was secure and the British Labour Party were to organise in NI, I'm sure they would attract a healthy amount of votes from Unionists working-class areas.
The parties that do claim to represent the Unionist working class are simply fronts for the the terrorists and aren't an option.
If the constitutional position of NI was secure and the British Labour Party were to organise in NI, I'm sure they would attract a healthy amount of votes from Unionists working-class areas.
21st April 2005 @ 08:04
Comment from:
Julian Robertson [Visitor]
Thanks to Chris Logan for giving us Conservative candidates a title. The "Westminster 3" has a good ring to it. Wonder if it's too late to change my election address...............
As SF would say, our day will come!
As SF would say, our day will come!
21st April 2005 @ 09:27
Comment from:
beano [Member]
· http://www.everythingulster.com
Welcome to the site Julian, and best of luck on 5th May.
Paul: personally I'm quite glad the Unionist parties are conservative, but I understand where you're coming from in that there's usually little to choose between them on policy.
I agree with you in principle but I'd be dubious about unionist working class support for labour given their past aim for the unification of Ireland and thus the recommendation that labour supporters in NI vote SDLP.
I must admit the inner workings of socialism wouldn't be my strongpoint but I've heard uttered that Labour won't stand in NI as long as the SDLP represent us on the 2nd (3rd?) International or whatever it's called.
Paul: personally I'm quite glad the Unionist parties are conservative, but I understand where you're coming from in that there's usually little to choose between them on policy.
I agree with you in principle but I'd be dubious about unionist working class support for labour given their past aim for the unification of Ireland and thus the recommendation that labour supporters in NI vote SDLP.
I must admit the inner workings of socialism wouldn't be my strongpoint but I've heard uttered that Labour won't stand in NI as long as the SDLP represent us on the 2nd (3rd?) International or whatever it's called.
21st April 2005 @ 10:02
Comment from:
Chris Logan [Visitor]
· http://egoletters.blogspot.com
Hmmm... I hope you're just being stubborn Julian thinking I'm complementing the Tories and talking only about them.
Personally, I wouldn't mind Labour standing here but they're a bit too right-wing for my liking at the minute. There's nothing wrong with conservatism (notice the small "c") as an ideology but it isn't, and shouldn't be, the ideology of the Labour Party.
The problems for the SDLP is that it was set up in the aftermath of the civil rights movement to represent the working class but because it was some of the leaders of that movement who set it up, and because it replaced the Nationalist Party, it's now difficult to emphasise the words social democratic, and labour. With their "Unity Document" of last month. It seems they've resorted to trying to "outgreen" Sinn Fein just as the Ulster Unionists are trying to "outorange" the DUP.
Personally, I wouldn't mind Labour standing here but they're a bit too right-wing for my liking at the minute. There's nothing wrong with conservatism (notice the small "c") as an ideology but it isn't, and shouldn't be, the ideology of the Labour Party.
The problems for the SDLP is that it was set up in the aftermath of the civil rights movement to represent the working class but because it was some of the leaders of that movement who set it up, and because it replaced the Nationalist Party, it's now difficult to emphasise the words social democratic, and labour. With their "Unity Document" of last month. It seems they've resorted to trying to "outgreen" Sinn Fein just as the Ulster Unionists are trying to "outorange" the DUP.
21st April 2005 @ 11:43
Comment from:
stephen [Visitor]
pointless either labour or conservatives standing here, people are too busy venting their bitterness through voting for sfira and the dup.
I blame the lying, appeasing, excuse of successive so called 'governments', from both these parties, who hadnt the balls to stand up to the provos.
I blame the lying, appeasing, excuse of successive so called 'governments', from both these parties, who hadnt the balls to stand up to the provos.
27th April 2005 @ 14:32
Comment from:
Patrick [Visitor]
The reason Labour don't stand in Northern Ireland is that - albeit nominally - they have an official commitment to a united Ireland. The SDLP is effectively Labour's representation in NI, they usually take the Labour whip in Westminster.
11th May 2005 @ 14:10
Comment from:
beano [Member]
· http://www.everythingulster.com
I'm surprised if that commitment is still part of Labour policy, you'd have thought that when they modernised their economic policies they'd modernise the rest too and abandon their outdated commitment to abandon a million citizens to what has become a foreign-state.
The 'relationship' with the SDLP is itself the problem. If you apply to join Labour you're told to apply to the SDLP instead but I can't see too many Unionists doing so, working-class or otherwise.
The irony is you can join Labour from anywhere in the world: Antigua, USA, Yemen, probably even Iraq, just not Northern Ireland.
The 'relationship' with the SDLP is itself the problem. If you apply to join Labour you're told to apply to the SDLP instead but I can't see too many Unionists doing so, working-class or otherwise.
The irony is you can join Labour from anywhere in the world: Antigua, USA, Yemen, probably even Iraq, just not Northern Ireland.
11th May 2005 @ 14:25
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