Sunday Mirror (Northern Ireland)
DUP might suit May but it’s a bad fit and could cost UK dearly
IMAGINE a whiff of mothballs, the waft of a good suit kept only for weddings, funerals – and elections.
It’s familiar to anyone associated with the DUP, whether handed down by their grandfather, father or even bought themselves – and a perfect reflection of attitudes the DUP likes to represent.
Careful, canny, frugal, and humbly dutiful.
They are not showy, but serious, political people, British to the core, with a deep love and respect for the Union and the Queen. And the DUP looks after the union of Northern Ireland with Great Britain much like their men look after those good suits.
It fits them perfectly and they don’t want it changed or updated. And if they have to put up with the whiff of something not entirely pleasant in order to keep it safe and secure, well, the DUP have strong stomachs.
They are British to the bone, but not living in Britain and power sharing with Irish Republicans in the Northern Ireland Assembly. The DUP is the biggest unionist, mainly Protestant party, led by Arlene Foster.
But the old-school DUP have stood as a block to creeping modernisation and change for many years.
Recently, they have stopped any chance of abortion becoming legal in Northern Ireland. But thousands of women still travel to the UK for terminations.
They have not, and say they will not, bend to pressure to accept gay marriage.
BLOCK
They’ve kept Northern Ireland as the only part of the UK – and Ireland – where same-sex marriage is not legal and senior figures in the party describe the issue a “red line” for power-sharing talks at Stormont.
MP for North Antrim Ian Paisley Jnr, son of party founder, Ian Paisley, has said he is repulsed by homosexuality. Former party colleague, Jim Wells, claimed children brought up in a homosexual relationship are more likely to be abused.
Sammy Wilson, MP for East Antrim, had repeatedly questioned the legitimacy of global warming. The DUP has previously appointed a climate change denier as environment minister in Northern Ireland, and counts a number of creationists among its senior members.
That minister, Edmund Poots, says he believes the Earth was created by God around 4,000BC.
Former leader Peter Robinson backed a pastor who said Islam is “heathen” and “satanic”, and said he did not trust Muslims, except to go to the shops for him.
And one of the DUP flock, farmer and politician Alan Graham stopped Rihanna filming the We Found Love video in his wheat field, when she revealed her breasts, because he said it was inappropriate.
The DUP also say they accept other cultures but block the Sinn Fein push for an Irish Language Act.
If they do go ahead with their deal with the Tories, it is guaranteed there will be a price to be paid.
So while Britain may be scratching its head in confusion over the DUP, Sinn Fein will be getting their heads together to see how to halt any agreement.
For now the DUP are anticipating a celebration... and there is a definite whiff of mothballs in the air.