John Hume famously quipped to the late Ian Paisley that if the word no were to be removed from the English language that he (Paisley) would be speechless. For the record Paisley replied “No I wouldn’t.”
It would seem that on Brexit the DUP are again reverting to their favourite space under the false security of the word “no.”
They would do well to remember that Paisley, a life long wrecker and agitator, finally had to say yes.
The arrangements between the DUP and the current Tory government have already proved toxic to the restoration of our devolved institutions but it seems that this toxicity could well spread that infection to the entire British body politic, if Mrs May lets that happen.
Personally I don’t think she will.
Yes, her government depends on the support of the DUP at parliament but her tenure will be defined in history by the nature of the Brexit deal she secures for the UK. No deal and or one butchered by DUP demands will render Mrs May a ranking amongst the worst UK prime ministers including Lord North, Arthur Balfour, Ramsay McDonald and Anthony Eden.
May, like Balfour, struggles to hold her party together. Ironically the Tories back then were split over the issue of free trade. Balfour’s ineptitude saw Conservative icon and political charlatan Winston Churchill move to the Liberals.
To her credit, Mrs May survived her party conference better than anyone expected. Her speech was earnest and her attempts at self deprecating humour with her distinctive form of dancing won over some battle-hardened commentators. She even managed to dim the spotlight on Boris Johnson.
Having attended the Tory Party conference in Birmingham I decided that much of the anti- Brexit rhetoric was for internal consumption. The blue and blonde rinses of the formidable ladies from the Tory shires mingled with youthful, beard-free, gangly Bullingdon club wannabes to catch a glimpse of the Brexit celebrities like Rees Mogg, the Tory version of Lord Snooty and an even more than usual dishevelled looking Boris Johnson. David Davis, late of the cabinet, cut a lonely figure at times.
I attended a Rees Mogg event. The audience lapped up very word that dropped from his silver-coated tongue. Someone said it was reminiscent of Tory speeches made in 1950s and 60s but to be honest it left my Irish blood cold. I imagined with its imperial and jingoistic overtones it would have been more familiar to British audiences of the 1930s.
One of the striking things about the Conservative party conference is its lack of diversity. It’s remarkable that the party has the appeal it has amongst working class and ethnic voters when its delegates are predominantly white, middle aged, middle class and well heeled.
Understandably Mrs May was light on detail about her Brexit negotiations. The conference isn’t the place for detail. The announcement that there would be a revival of the 1951 Festival of Britain was nothing short of delusional. The Scots won’t be rushing to join what Mrs May has called a “moment of national renewal.” Northern Ireland got dropped from the billing altogether - though no doubt unionists will be hoping to turn it into a year long ‘Twelfth’ and that could give the Parades Commission a lot of unwanted marches.
During the conference a cheery young Tory intern from Northern Ireland asked me to choose one of three types of cupcake on offer - each cupcake was decorated with a Norwegian or Canadian flag or a photograph of Chequers. Rather optimistically I asked where was the Remain cupcake? Having none I opted for my next least worst option - Norway. What surprised me was the consumption of the Norwegian and Canadian cupcakes were keeping pace with each other but the Chequers cupcakes remained untouched. On that basis British negotiators heading to Brussels should stack up on Gaviscon as major indigestion lies ahead.
Over the coming weeks the tensions over Brexit will rise. A deal will be done but it will require compromise further than Chequers.
Donald Tusk has now said a “Canada Deal +++” could be done with the UK. Theresa May and those to her right cannot have it both ways. More importantly the DUP cannot and will not be allowed to hold up a deal which is in the overall interests of Britain, Ireland, the EU and Northern Ireland.
As John F Kennedy once said: “You cannot negotiate with people who say what’s mine is mine and what’s yours is negotiable.”
