To not get the hysteria over the DUP?

[dingit]

Cropping up on Facebook statuses today, photos with rainbows to stand against them.
I admit until last week I knew nothing about them. A quick look at their website does not show them to be homophobic, racist etc. And surely Teresa May has bigger worries than LGBT rights? They have 10 seats!
I'm not posting to be goady, I genuinely don't get it?

I understand they are everything claimed above.

What I don't understand is how they have 10 MPs. Someone must be voting for them. Why?

Their hysterical anti abortion, anti equal marriage creationist crap is just the icing on a particularly nasty terrorism loving cake.

What I don't understand is how they have 10 MPs. Someone must be voting for them. Why?

They are the dominant Unionist party in Northern Ireland, and a lot of people simply vote a straight Unionist or Republican ticket without giving much care to the party's other policies.

There is more info linked to on the other threads on this topic but in short, Gordon Brown (Labour) tried to do a deal with the DUP in 2010, and it is claimed (don't know if it's true) that Iain Paisley (jr) said that Miliband (Labour) tried to do a deal with them in 2015.

Also look up devolution of powers to NI to see that many of the issues people are trying to scaremonger about are devolved powers, so there is no threat to, for example, gay marriage and abortion rights in the rest of the UK from a DUP pact.

But that is of course irrelevant as politics started in 2016 and anything previous can be ignored.

OP, ignore the people insulting you. They think you have committed the heinous sin of asking a question about politics from a different view to theirs The fact that they don't just politely answer with facts and their views on the issue tells you all you need to know about their politics.

burntheblacksuit simple - they (an some other parties in NI) run a campaign of us vs them. Remember "if you want an immigrant for a neighbour vote Labour"? That sort of thing only not so blatant. Nothing but fearmongering, if you don't vote DUP you'll get Sinn Fein and a united Ireland, if you don't vote Sinn Fein you'll get DUP and orangemen trampling all over your lawn. Nonsense of course but lots of people buy into it.

And also the same thing happen in NI this election as happened in GB - it basically turned into a 2 party election only instead of Lab and Tories we have SF and DUP. Moderate middle grounders like Aliiance and greens lost votes.

Do you realise that the British Army went into Northern Ireland initially to deal with the unionists, not the IRA?

The DUP is the biggest unionist party in N Ireland. Very very very conservative on social issues - anti-abortion, anti-same sex marriage, creationist. Also historically linked to Loyalist paramilitary groups.

DUP manifesto

Now do you understand OP?

They make the Official Unionist Party look like the Greens - and I'm Irish descent so it comes to something me saying that.

What I don't understand is how they have 10 MPs. Someone must be voting for them. Why?

Because they agree with them?

I rest my case. Did I say I agree with them? No. And I still don't think much will change with their minority seats. They may make a lot of noise, but that's about it.

Sadly, they make more than noise.

Other threads

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/2950574-So-the-DUP-are-anti-abortion-creationist-climate-change-deniers?

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/2951211-To-think-its-a-bit-pathetic-to-start-a-petition-against-the-Tory-DUP-coalition-and-the-losing-team-should-just-accept-it?

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/_chat/2950987-Are-Conservative-voters-happy-about-the-DUP-union?

I totally get how appalling they are. What I don't get is how much if any difference this 'coalition' will make in practice? The MPs they have are democratically elected whether we like it or not.

I am a NI Protestant who lives in a rural DUP stronghold area, I voted Alliance and very nearly voted Sinn Fein that's how oppressive the DUP are. I normally don't vote but recent years the DUP stranglehold scares the hell out of me and I fear for my dds growing up under this

Oh by the way, thank you crosswordsalad

Perhaps this sketch might persuade you to overcome your 'aversion' to 'hysteria'.

Look up BBC ulster on iplayer around 9.20am or 20 minutes into Stephen Nolan show they have a clip of sound bites.

I don't agree with many of DUP policies but every Tory party commentator so far has said those policies are not part of the negotiation and are not going to be part of the government's policies. It's not going to be a formal coalition. The DUP was voting with the Tories on many key issues in the previous governments anyway.

It's just another way for Labour supporters to make Tories look bad. Makes for good Facebook memes.

The chances of them pulling any strings on social conservatism (polite terms) are very slim.
The biggest problem that I see is how they throw their weight around resolving the problems in the assembly at the moment. Which, in turn, requires a cool head for Brexit and border stuff.
Let's hope they want to keep a soft border with the Republic and won't stick their nose in abortion/women's rights / education votes in Westminster.

Oh, and how is putting a rainbow on your Facebook photo going to change a thing? The only sensible thing to do is vote in the next election, which is looking like fairly soon.

Calm down everyone

The difference it will make is to the peace process in Northern Ireland. Even if the DUP end up getting nothing their way in the commons this is dangerous for NI. Bit baffled as to how people can be so flippant about that tbh?

You checked their website and they don't seem that bad? Then you post that on here as evidence?

I am embarrassed on your behalf.

The policies might not be part of the negotiation, but the tories will need DUP votes to pass some of their policies through the house and its what the DUP will ask for in return for their votes that is the concern

vestalvirgin Thank you for educating me about the origins of the word 'hysteria' . Very interesting that it relates to the word uterus. Yes, a fitting word for the OP to have used

Not flippant. The opposite. The Good Friday Agreement is under enough pressure with Brexit. Giving the DUP any power over the situation is very worrying.