UUP MLA: We should quit Stormont.

[st333ve]

I have suspected some unionists have been looking for reasons to jump ship, taking into concideration how devolved government in Scotland has greatly aided nationalism there and the recent increase media attention it is recieving, i seen a BBC piece today on how popular the SNP is and how effective they have been as the leading party.
The SNP has already renamed the devolved institution "The Scottish Government", prevented hospital closures and are supplying primary schools with free healthy meals.
They really have an impressive record behind them from a mere 160 days of power.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/7062401.stm

Are unionists here getting worried about what the future holds, what do they really have to offer voters in a failed state apart from republican scaremongering?

The DUP recently seen an oppertunity to get out of Stormont when a young man was killed in south Armagh, they claim because the mans attackers could have been "republican" that they should close the assembly.

Basil McCrea UUP isnt liking how the executive is sometimes "nice" and wants the UUP to get out.

He stated : Yesterday (Thursday) was a watershed. The budget debate was one nice comment after another - it's a complete and utter sham, and it's totally undemocratic. Somebody somewhere is going to have to find a way of sorting this out

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/7064874.stm

Again the unionist concerns arnt economic or actual concern for the NI people, but selfish concerns about not having full control and frustration that certain unionist members are actually getting along with republican members.

[Samarkand]

Will come back to the main point tomorrow when I'm more awake (!) things are definitely very interesting constitutionally-speaking the UK of GBand Norn Irn.

On a last point for tonight, though, is Basil anything to Willie? Son? I know, I should just google, shouldn't I?

[PaddyDevlin]

Basil McCrea UUP isnt liking how the executive is sometimes "nice" and wants the UUP to get out.

He stated : Yesterday (Thursday) was a watershed. The budget debate was one nice comment after another - it's a complete and utter sham, and it's totally undemocratic. Somebody somewhere is going to have to find a way of sorting this out

In fairness to McCrea - whatever about his motives - he does point to one of the most glaring difficiencies with the GFA settlement - the lack of a credible opposition.

That said if the UUP are to go into opposition it does has to be asked - for what purpose? Will they have an economic critique that is to the left or the right of the executive. When you are a catch all Unionist Party you can't do that - yet the UUP are trying to justify a separate existence to the modern DUP.

If the SDLP & UUP are replaced over time by Labour, Fianna Fail and Tories they could from the opposition benches offer more robust opposition to SF/DUP. I don't for a second believe the SF/DUP coalition will lose office any time soon (there's always the possibility it might last as long as the UUP government of 1920-72) but the opposition will be an alternative of normalised governmental politics rather than a tepid carbon copy of SF/DUP - otherwise they might as well stick with SF/DUP.

[DOD]

Basil McCrea UUP isnt liking how the executive is sometimes "nice" and wants the UUP to get out.

He stated : Yesterday (Thursday) was a watershed. The budget debate was one nice comment after another - it's a complete and utter sham, and it's totally undemocratic. Somebody somewhere is going to have to find a way of sorting this out

In fairness to McCrea - whatever about his motives - he does point to one of the most glaring difficiencies with the GFA settlement - the lack of a credible opposition.

.

Exactly, it's not a good system for those on the fringes.

[The Hallion]

Sinn Féin and the SDLP should form an electoral past under the auspices of an INP, they'd form the majority in the executive and get the 1st minister positon.

[DOD]

Sinn Féin and the SDLP should form an electoral past under the auspices of an INP, they'd form the majority in the executive and get the 1st minister positon.

No, because then the Unionists would do the same and put paid to that.

[The Hallion]

Thereby highlighting the untenable nature of the failed statelet.

[rockofcashel]

Sinn Féin and the SDLP should form an electoral past under the auspices of an INP, they'd form the majority in the executive and get the 1st minister positon.

not under the new rules in the St Andrews Agreement

[Shankill Browser]

Does Basil mean Get the uup out of Stormont or does he mean Get the uup out of the executive?

[The Hallion]

Sinn Féin and the SDLP should form an electoral past under the auspices of an INP, they'd form the majority in the executive and get the 1st minister positon.

not under the new rules in the St Andrews Agreement

So what would be the case if a single Nationalist, or indeed Unionist, party emerged and essentially won half or more of the seats?