6.19.2005
I waited till this morning to post regarding the forthcoming election for the UUP leadership contest. The reason being that I was waiting until the talking heads of our Sunday mornings got their teeth into it. Well following a tiny article in yesterdays IT outlining the final candidates the story simply faded away. No one seems overly perturbed at the apparent crossroads, which mainstream unionism finds itself at. This is again a very hubristic state of affairs from our media outlets. Much will be done to relay fact but no one seems bothered about the implications for the North of this move away from Trimble.
There are very different candidates out there, and many differing agendas within the UUP party. The current state of affairs in the North is not guaranteed to continue in perpetuity. It is indeed highly unlikely that the DUP post Paisley will be the same force as it is now.
The understated response to the UUP election is understandable but again a signal of the mass media dictating the agenda. Many of us in the South and many more up North need to be aware of what we are getting with the new UUP leader, another hard ass anti-agreement candidate means curtains for pro-agreement unionism. They have no option but Alliance or even SDLP. I am no northern expert which is why I think those that are need to focus on the global issues affecting the North.
Coverage has obviously become biased twoard the two largest parties in the respective camps but certain points in the course of events merit consideration and even reportage in depth. If the IRA make a move it is important to know who from the UUP is responding and where he sits on the spectrum of NI politics.
RR
Leave your response