There’s a curious symmetry up at Stormont. Both Michelle O’Neill and Emma Little-Pengelly have the same dilemma for once. Eight months out from make-or-break elections for both of their parties, they need to show that they’re banging the drum for the people they represent.
Usually this takes the form of the DUP tweaking the noses of Sinn Fein ministers over Irish language of funding for Casement Park, or whatever. In turn, the Shinners aren’t as effective in giving it back, so there’s a brooding stalemate instead, with mutterings coming from both side about whether one or the other will pull the plug early on the executive.
But how about this. Instead of taking chunks out of each other, why not alight on a common foe for once.
That nice Mr Bryant, to be precise.
Both he and the equally nice Mr Burnham have been urging the executive – in the form of gentle public rebukes – to set a budget, speaking to the first minister and her deputy in much the way that a disappointed form teacher might address able but under-performing school children ahead of their A-levels. (‘Pull your socks up, you’re better than this’).
Michelle and Emma (let’s go with first names) should simply tell him to do one. In the nicest possible way. There will be no budget set. There will be no water charges. There will be no new taxes. There will be no working through British spending cuts. There will be no rows with the unions. Everyone will get what they need.
If Britain wants this place, it’s going to have to cough up and pay for it.
It would work as a tactic because that nice Mr Bryant has no leverage. He doesn’t want to deal with the fall-out of yet another crashed executive. Not so soon after starting his job! And not least because it always costs the British government a fortune to revive the place. And despite the huffing and puffing, they will always pay up because the alternative is too…well.
Perhaps, then, it’s better to just offer up the money and keep the show on the road for once? Its only £1.6 billion or so. The Budget (British version) is on October 28.
Tell Chris to tell John Healey it’s a great deal. Cheap at twice the price.
And everyone’s a winner.
Chris gets to keep his new job.
Emma gets a pile of cash for flutes and drums and the like.
And Michelle gets to point out that she faced-down the Brits and kicked some posterior.
There’s a curious symmetry up at Stormont. Both Michelle O’Neill and Emma Little-Pengelly have the same dilemma for once. Eight months out from make-or-break elections for both of their parties, they need to show that they’re banging the drum for the people they represent.
Usually this takes the form of the DUP tweaking the noses of Sinn Fein ministers over Irish language of funding for Casement Park, or whatever. In turn, the Shinners aren’t as effective in giving it back, so there’s a brooding stalemate instead, with mutterings coming from both side about whether one or the other will pull the plug early on the executive.
But how about this. Instead of taking chunks out of each other, why not alight on a common foe for once.
That nice Mr Bryant, to be precise.
Both he and the equally nice Mr Burnham have been urging the executive – in the form of gentle public rebukes – to set a budget, speaking to the first minister and her deputy in much the way that a disappointed form teacher might address able but under-performing school children ahead of their A-levels. (‘Pull your socks up, you’re better than this’).
Michelle and Emma (let’s go with first names) should simply tell him to do one. In the nicest possible way. There will be no budget set. There will be no water charges. There will be no new taxes. There will be no working through British spending cuts. There will be no rows with the unions. Everyone will get what they need.
If Britain wants this place, it’s going to have to cough up and pay for it.
It would work as a tactic because that nice Mr Bryant has no leverage. He doesn’t want to deal with the fall-out of yet another crashed executive. Not so soon after starting his job! And not least because it always costs the British government a fortune to revive the place. And despite the huffing and puffing, they will always pay up because the alternative is too…well.
Perhaps, then, it’s better to just offer up the money and keep the show on the road for once? Its only £1.6 billion or so. The Budget (British version) is on October 28.
Tell Chris to tell John Healey it’s a great deal. Cheap at twice the price.
And everyone’s a winner.
Chris gets to keep his new job.
Emma gets a pile of cash for flutes and drums and the like.
And Michelle gets to point out that she faced-down the Brits and kicked some posterior.