Can we blame the DUP?
Peter Hoskin 11:47am
The DUP’s actions over the 42-day detention vote yesterday have provoked quite a lot of anger. CoffeeHouser ‘cuffleyburgers’ provides a good example of that: “…the DUP worms who sold their principles down the river in exchange for some as-yet-unclarified bribe.” And then there are posts from Daniel Hannan and Iain Dale, among others.
But is it right to blame the DUP? I’m not so sure. Yes, money may have overridden principle in this case (although it’s still unclear how many DUP MPs were in support of 42-day detention anyway). But isn’t one expectation of MPs that they represent the interests of their constituents? And, boy, have the DUP done that – whether intentionally or unintentionally. An alleged £200 million for the people of Northern Ireland, in return for voting for something that those same people – if the polls are anything to go by – are probably in support of? Sounds like a good deal to me.
Besides, I think it deflects attention from the real wrongdoers here – Brown and his government. Even putting aside the case for 42-day detention (which I think is dubious, at best), to so freely use taxpayers’ money to win a parliamentary vote is beyond the pale. We might not be able to blame the DUP for accepting the Government’s offer. But that offer shouldn’t have been made in the first place.
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Charles
June 12th, 2008 12:04pm Report this commentCorrect. However, very rarely (if at all) will the words "taxpayers' money" emanate from this Government. I think they are of the opinion that it is THEIR money to be spent as THEY see fit.
ACT
June 12th, 2008 12:17pm Report this commentWhat exactly is the surprise in the party whose elected representatives have faced a personal terrorist threat longest voting en masse for stringent counter-terrorism measures? Why precisely should the DUP feel well disposed to the the Conservative party? Was Cameron's giving of the whip in the House of Lords to David Trimble meant to win the DUP over?
Miranda
June 12th, 2008 12:36pm Report this commentSo is accepting a bribe, less of an offense in this case than making it? Is it in the interests of the whole country, not just those in Ireland, to lose our freedom? I don't think the answer to either question is yes. The DUP deserve all the anger they get - Brown deserves much, much more. He spends our money and despoils our freedom for his own ends.
Listening, is he? Words empty hypocritical words.
David C
June 12th, 2008 12:37pm Report this commentBrown has said that he doesn't do deals over terrorism. Therefore all this talk of the DUP accepting various blandishments must be 'media froth' as the BBC would have it.
Otherwise Brown is simply lying...
Yes, the real delinquents are Brown and his Gauleiters and yes, they are sliding away from the major proportion of the blame. But just as Brown has put himself into so many unbelievable situations, so the DUP have put themselves in a position where they can be 'fingered' for the mess. This is, to put it charitably, politically inept, and unfortunately fits quite well with the performance of Parliament as a whole.
Whatever an MP's salary - it's too much.
Travis Bickle
June 12th, 2008 12:39pm Report this commentWho could ever blame minority parties for getting something whilst in a rare position of actually mattering to the government? (and a fine example of why Proportional Representation can be an absolute disaster BTW, imagine the Lib Dems being able to get some of their crackpot ideas adopted as policy)
No the real villian is a PM so desperate to get support on anything that he reduced such a key vote to a horse trading session rather than trust MPs to vote on case presented and their true beliefs.
A sad, sad day for democracy, but then again just another sad day in 11 years of NuLab form in bypassing true parliamentary accountability.
Talia
June 12th, 2008 1:34pm Report this commentIs there any precedent for this sort of bribe?
DJT
June 13th, 2008 11:47pm Report this commentIf the DUP feel 42 day detention is so important perhaps they should put up in H&H against DD....
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