Ulster Unionist

Young Unionist Chairman addresses Conservative Future Scotland

Three Thousand Versts of Loneliness (Free subscription) | yesterday

Congratulations to Michael Shilliday, whom many of you will know. He had the distinction of addressing the Conservative Future Conference this afternoon. The final draft of his speech is reproduced below. Mr Chairman it is a tremendous privilege to be addressing this conference, Alasdair and I were delighted to be invited, and are delighted to be here. Your hospitality and generosity have been greatly...

Alliance prefer Hermon to Parsley?

Three Thousand Versts of Loneliness (Free subscription) | yesterday

Jeff Peel doesn't reveal any sources, but on his (Public) Diary blog he suggests that the Alliance Party is set to 'support' Sylvia Hermon 'rather than' Ian Parsley in the North Down race for Westminster. How this support would manifest itself is not made clear. Conservatives and Unionists have not selected a candidate for North Down, but the former Alliance man, Parsley, has been nominated and it...

Don't Stand Down Margaret

Graham Pointer's Blog (Free subscription) | yesterday

For those who follow Northern Ireland politics, there is one thing which happens from time-to-time, when the Democratic Unionist Party runs a candidate in a seat which is held by the Ulster Unionist Party (or which has recently been held by the UUP), and the unionist vote splits, leading to a nationalist, from the Social Democratic & Labour Party or Sinn Fein, either winning or coming close to...

Armstrong aims to remind electorate that Conservatives and Unionists offer best option in North Antrim

Three Thousand Versts of Loneliness (Free subscription) | 19/11/2009

The media has already established its angle on the North Antrim general election contest. It’s all about Jim Allister and whichever Paisley is nominated to rebuff his challenge. To a degree the preoccupation with the DUP / TUV contest is understandable. After all, in 2005 Senior romped home with more than 25,000 votes and Ulster Unionist candidate, Rodney McCune, was beaten to second spot by...

Conservative appointment signals a party eager to get started, but they're still waiting for Sir Reg.

Three Thousand Versts of Loneliness (Free subscription) | 13/11/2009

At the general election, whether it is held in March, April or May, Conservatives and Unionists will field a strong slate of candidates across eighteen constituencies in Northern Ireland. Today the Conservative party announced that Jonathan Caine will rejoin its team, becoming Chief of Staff to shadow secretary of state, Owen Paterson, in the run up to the poll. The appointment is a statement of intent...

Assets wife 'should step down'

SAOIRSE32 (Free subscription) | 12/11/2009

BBC The wife of a republican who had assets frozen must clear her name to continue serving on her local District Policing Partnership (DPP), the DUP has claimed . Annette Hughes was named in a court order granted against her husband Sean, freezing several properties, proceeds of property deals and bank accounts. She was named in the order as being the co-owner of the properties. Sinn Fein have rejected...

"Vampire" - compliment or insult?

BBC NEWS | The Devenport Diaries (Free subscription) | 12/11/2009

Critics are getting their teeth into the Employment Minister Sir Reg Empey after he called some16 - 24 year olds not in employment, education or training "vampires" because they get up at 3pm and stay up all night. Alliance youth chair Conrad Dickson, for example, reckons that whilst Sir Reg is siting in "his ministerial ivory tower" and hurling "insults at young people",...

Top republican has assets frozen

SAOIRSE32 (Free subscription) | 11/11/2009

The Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) has frozen the assets of a leading republican in South Armagh. It has been granted a court order to take control of properties and bank accounts belonging to Sean Gerard Hughes of Aghadavoyle Road, Dromintee. The agency claimed the assets came from laundering the proceeds of mortgage fraud, tax evasion and benefit fraud. In 2002, Mr Hughes was named in parliament...

• Properties seized from alleged IRA killer - Top Stories: BreakingNews.ie

Parallel Realities

BBC NEWS | The Devenport Diaries (Free subscription) | 10/11/2009

There was a sense of unreality during much of today's marathon debate on the Justice Bill. We had plenty of discussion of SDLP and Ulster Unionist objections to the Sinn Fein DUP deal on a future Justice department. We had the SDLP suggesting December 7th as the date for the transfer of powers. But there seemed little or no acknowledgment of the general belief that the devolution of justice is balanced...

Easter lily sale decision puts student union in line of fire

SAOIRSE32 (Free subscription) | 09/11/2009

By Barry McCaffrey Irish News 06/11/09 A row has erupted at the University of Ulster in Coleraine after the student union voted to allow the Easter lily to be sold on its premises in addition to the poppy . The motion was passed on Tuesday with an amendment that any profit from lily sales should be donated to charities working with victims of the Troubles. However, student union leaders were told later...

Does the DUP understand the TUV?

Slugger O'Toole (Free subscription) | 07/11/2009

Fair_deal has recently written an excellent article on Open Unionism on things the DUP should do to minimise further damage at the Westminster and Stormont elections. I would disagree with very little of it, though (I suspect like fair_deal) I would like the DUP in addition to move its political stance. The DUP’s discourse about, and attacks on the TUV have always been fairly vitriolic as indeed...

In Two Places At Once

BBC NEWS | The Devenport Diaries (Free subscription) | 05/11/2009

Highlighting the dangers of double jobbing, the TUV's Keith Harbinson settled upon Tuesday night's vote on the Bill of Rights as an example of unionism being let down by not being able to muster numbers at both Westminster and Stormont at the same time. Mr Harbinson said unionism had been defeated because of the absence of the DUP MPs. Although his general point may be valid Tuesday's vote was in...

Republican youths lay siege to PSNI station

SAOIRSE32 (Free subscription) | 03/11/2009

News Letter 03 November 2009 DOZENS of petrol bombs and paint containers were thrown as republican youths laid siege to a police station in south Armagh at the weekend. However, details of the attack, involving up to 50 people, were only released by police after a request for information was made by the News Letter . Ulster Unionist MLA Danny Kennedy criticised how police reported the attack, saying...

Party mergers are not as attractive as they seem

Slugger O'Toole (Free subscription) | 30/10/2009

Should the Ulster Unionists finally federate with the Conservatives and the SDLP with Fianna Fail? In each case in their present state of eclipse, the prospect of becoming part of a bigger machine must be sorely tempting. Below the surface however lurk huge problems. Unionists like Sylvia Hermon are sturdy individualists and want to remain big beasts in the local zoo. For the SDLP the attractions may...

It's lonely at the apex

SCOT goes POP! (Free subscription) | 29/10/2009

I've been having a look once again at the pro-Ulster Unionist (and therefore now by automatic extension, pro-Conservative) blog Three Thousands Versts of Loneliness. I was planning to say something about the new Tory-UUP alliance, but first of all I can't resist responding to Chekov's second most recent post , as it contains a series of digs at the SNP and Alex Salmond. Apparently, the First Minister's...