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>they actually have political power for the first time from the election the other week in a way they never had before Worth pointing out the largest nationali

>they actually have political power for the first time from the election the other week in a way they never had before Worth pointing out the largest nationalist party and the largest unionist party are supposed to share power equally in the sectarian state and the only change here is symbolic. The unionist parties have insisted on the First Minister-Deputy First Minister distinction for years although it has now came back to bite them.

mhoad 4y ago
Agreed, I didn't get into it in the original comment because it's a pretty deep topic obviously but the idea of "having power" is an extremely shaky description at best. From an outside perspective it really seems like the DUP have painted themselves into an extremely weird corner with Brexit and their new demands that looks increasingly like it was a fatal strategic move for them from a political point of view. You already have the UVF claiming to no longer respect the GFA and it's all rather unclear where they go from here. Excellent podcast episode on the topic from a year ago before the election obviously here talking about the context leading up to all of this along with what dissident politics looks like since the end of the troubles https://podcastaddict.com/episode/120707318 https://podcastaddict.com/episode/120707318
- sentinalien 4y ago
  Yes, it's difficult to understand the logic and lack of foresight behind many of the DUP's decisions over the last few years, particularly during the period they acted as kingmakers for the Tories in 2017-2019.
  - pjc50 4y ago
    A combination of traditional intransigence - saying no to everything has, after all, been their strategy for decades - and Brexit-related corruption: https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/dark-money-investigations/you-aren-t-allowed-to-know-who-paid-for-key-leave-campaign-adverts/ https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/dark-money-investigations/y...

mhoad 4y ago

Agreed, I didn't get into it in the original comment because it's a pretty deep topic obviously but the idea of "having power" is an extremely shaky description at best. From an outside perspective it really seems like the DUP have painted themselves into an extremely weird corner with Brexit and their new demands that looks increasingly like it was a fatal strategic move for them from a political point of view. You already have the UVF claiming to no longer respect the GFA and it's all rather unclear where they go from here. Excellent podcast episode on the topic from a year ago before the election obviously here talking about the context leading up to all of this along with what dissident politics looks like since the end of the troubles https://podcastaddict.com/episode/120707318 https://podcastaddict.com/episode/120707318

sentinalien 4y ago
Yes, it's difficult to understand the logic and lack of foresight behind many of the DUP's decisions over the last few years, particularly during the period they acted as kingmakers for the Tories in 2017-2019.
- pjc50 4y ago
  A combination of traditional intransigence - saying no to everything has, after all, been their strategy for decades - and Brexit-related corruption: https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/dark-money-investigations/you-aren-t-allowed-to-know-who-paid-for-key-leave-campaign-adverts/ https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/dark-money-investigations/y...