politicalOD

Greater expectations

Perhaps expecting Gary Lineker to have listened to there recent "The Rest is History" podcast, in which he is financially invested, is too much to expect. Her might have learned something, though perhaps it is all a bit above his head. 

The St Patrick's political festival is in full swing in the USA, to where our expenses-paid politicians (and the rest) seem to have decamped. 

It is from Washington DC that we learn of the DUP's current view on what it might think of the Sunak Framework, couched in such generalities and uncertainty demanding clarifications. This seems to make clear(-ish) that the Framework (a rehash of the NI Protocol that simply embeds the grace periods that would have lasted forever outside EU control - can't be having that) does not meet the DUP seven tests, even though those seven tests were themselves vague. 

With the seven tests not met, what then of the Panel? What exactly is it advising on? How does 'the public' make representation to the Panel when the general sense is that by composition and playbook this will likely deliver whatever the DUP leader requires to 'keep the show on the road', and when the public doesn't have the expert views the DUP has gathered to give guidance on to what extent the seven tests have been missed, and what options the DUP might consider going forward?

In so many aspects of public discourse, those that want to be lauded for offering their guidance and leadership really do need to step up a gear. Perhaps numbed to low expectations, they won't be disappointed with themselves. They shouldn't be too surprised if the public expects more. 

No bridges nor breakthroughs

While Harry burns his bridges and asks the family to jump into the void, the UK and EU seem to imagine that if the word 'breakthrough' is used no-one will look too much at the detail. In both instances the truth is out there, somewhere, just not as real as you are asked to imagine. 

It isn't clear who the audiences for the outbreak of truths is trying to convince of the veracity to their accounts. Perhaps it doesn't matter. Politics is increasingly conducted in the moment of the last Tweet rather than the reality of life for the people impacted. No wonder politicians struggle to cut through and populists that feed on concerns and fears gain from this - nationalism feeds of division and shifting the blame onto Westminster and offering milk and honey if only.... 

While a General Election may be two years away, local elections will bring back political uncertainty and pressures on main parties.

For Sunak and Starmer it will be a battle of energising their core vote, as few others might be inspired to be bothered to go to the voting booth.

In Northern Ireland we may get two for one; an Assembly election along with the necessary Local Government poll. There will be some who might hope that would boost the UUP which performs well at local government level, largely due to long-standing personal votes. But the European Election should have put paid to that idea - although well-liked, the UUP's Danny Kennedy crashed in the European poll. The DUP will not fear an election. Everyone else will see it as another chance to beat up on the DUP without offering anything much.

Plus ca change. 

What’s the big deal?

There is a date at the end of October when the Northern Ireland Secretary of State will call an election for the NI Assembly, or find some imaginative way to avoid national law and kick the can down the line. 

The issue as to whether an Assembly will be possible after an election is centred on whether or not an 'deal' is made between the EU and the UK Govt that either a) is equal to the intent of the NI Protocol Bill (not currently stalled in the House of Lords, to some people's disappointment) and/or satisfies the DUP 'seven tests'.

Of course pressure will be on the DUP to accept ANY deal, which will be portrayed as 'the best deal ever'. There will be also voices demanding the the DUP accept the deal and to get the Assembly up and running so that the other Parties in the Executive can pretend to hand out money which in truth adds up to no more than an extra layer of bureaucracy between Westminster and getting support to households.  

The context is one of febrile politics around Westminster where Conservative MPs are acting like a herd of cattle with BSE.

Time and tides.

This episode takes in a range of issues. Perhaps unconsciously it looks at how patience and focus on straightforward goals can reduce the greatest challenges to achievable goals. 

We look at the Queen's role from Empire changed to Commonwealth. How will Liz Truss fare in reversing the technocratic aversion to change and salami slicing the economy towards growth and a dynamic economy that frees people and business to be their best. How might that be reflected in relationships with the EU and approach to the added cost of the NI Protocol to everyday prices, approach to Northern Ireland political Party whining, or more widely in the world. 

On the world stage, perhaps an example of how not to focus without the ability to see through with delivery we have Russia and how China might have played a canny game of removing a rival - though with unforeseen downsides of placing a focus on how China is not so different in its nationalistic view of its neighbourhood. 

A time of challenges; navigating through seas of change.   

 

Not the silly season.

It is a not so silly summer season, with the Conservatives looking for a new leader and the background of high energy costs, strikes, and war. No it is not the 1970s. In particular we don't seem to have the political figures that exude confidence and big ideas on the world stage, nationally nor, noting the death of David Trimble, locally. 

Stormont in mothballs

Seems like we are heading into a period with Stormont being put in storage, mothballed for now, putting on hold all those amazing ideas MLAs have been imagining to solve all the problems of the world. Waiting, of course, for the greatest fanfare of all will be Robin Swann's plan to do what has not been done in twenty years of devolution; to end waiting lists and create the best working NHS anywhere in the UK. Sadly we will have to wait. 

First on the agenda is the Northern Ireland Protocol, that constitutional and economic thorn in the side of unionism, that (not before time) the DUP has decided takes priority over all else.

In this podcast we discuss how the election was a bit dull, what might happen next, and the barriers that currently exist which might derail the Government from doing much as has been its way for months and months past. Until the EU is faced down on its absolutist legalistic hubris, and common sense prevails, Brexit will not be complete, and the Good Friday Agreement will be dead.  

Reading the Stormont Election Runes

We don’t have much to go on when it comes to predicting the forthcoming election. The polling is volatile and there’s no reliable data on how many people don’t know who they will vote for or remain undecided.

We look at the three relevant battles; in unionism, in nationalism, and the fight for the so called middle ground. There’s a lot of talk about new, fresh politics, but some of the rhetoric, particularly from Sinn Fein, seems depressingly familiar.

We got here via a few weeks of phoney electoral war, during which the parties gave the impression that they were frenziedly busy. Did they achieve anything and why did they leave it so late to get their homework ready?

Plus, the obligatory update on the Protocol. All the latest action on dealing with the Irish Sea border… or lack of it.

Crisis redux

For all the talk of crisis things seem much the same up the hill at Stormont. Sinn Fein wants to see legislation through, but also an early election. What they couldn't do with 28 pieces of legislation they'll need twice as much time to do with fewer, apparently because the DUP pulled Paul Givan out of the Executive and despite that not reducing one day of Assembly time before they close for the always planned election. No journalist has asked a single political leader why that might be.

Meanwhile, Doug Beattie's clean shaven look doesn't seem to have done anything to make his political antenna look more shiny. The UUP needs to focus on consistency if nothing else, because at the moment Mr Beattie looks like a man with no particular plan on any given day - though in fairness few other Parties have a better approach and all think blaming the DUP means no-one will ask them what their alternative approach might be.

Meanwhile the hubris over Health continues apace. 8 weeks to save the NHS!!! No budget we are told despite hundreds of millions £ heading into the budget - rightly questioned by the DUP for being cash planned to be spent without a plan for spending. In future he won't have Covid to bring Armed Services in to cover staff shortages that have been created by the very restrictions his department has championed while everywhere else has abandoned the pretence they have any further value.

New Year, same old...

The New Year brought little cheer for Downing Street with a forever list of crises, much of its own making. Perhaps surprisingly, Downing Street is cut some slack on the podcast while the empty demands for the Prime Minister's resignation by Northern Ireland politicians is called out for what it is - hubris.

Meanwhile, since the last podcast, Liz Truss has taken over the role of chief Brexit negotiator. This means that the NI Protocol is now one of many issues in the in-tray, whereas Lord Frost had only one job...

Finally, there is no great joy in looking forward to the Assembly Elections in May. No doubt the Parties will all be saying that as part of the Executive how important they have all been, with all but the DUP saying how bad the DUP is, how awful it would be without the Assembly and Executive. If ever pointed out that absolutely nothing has been achieved by this particular Executive no doubt we will be told 'Covid" and it will all be marvellously better next time. Because, 'it is for the children'.

It’s the data stupid

Despite claiming to be 'guided by the science' the NI Executive's reluctance to publish 'the evidence', the science and reason on which a decision is being made, seems churlish. It also seems that the politicians in the NI Executive don't quite trust, certainly lack confidence in the data. Added to which any review of the published NISRA data, a daily update on statistics around Covid and health services, even a casual review, raises questions that seem to be unanswered or simply contradictory to what the politicians and health 'experts' are saying. That undermines public confidence in decisions and policy being made.

20th Century Marxist historians didn't produce communist polemics. Rather it was a framework for critical thinking, that agree or disagree - plenty on both sides - the work was thought-provoking and based on considerable research. There was no such thing as an 'inconvenient' fact, just a fact which needed to be assessed with greater rigour and attention to endeavour to explain, to enlighten. The greats of the Enlightenment might not have recognised Marxist thinking, but there is no doubt they might appreciate the reason and rational thought applied.

What do we have today. Universities seems to have been captured by 'activist' academics that selectively advance opinion which is factually and intellectually light, pitched all to often in a character-constrained tweet that lacks substance. Journalism seems more focused on clickbait headlines to gain attention for the journalist rather than focus attention on the facts within and around a story. And politicians with zero ideological frame, making up policy on the hoof with priority on how it will look in a 280 character summary.