HAASS AND THE DUP

Posted By: August 28, 2013

 Note: The leading commentator fills Haass in on the the DUP
 (Democratic Unionist Party)
 HAASS SHOULD KNOW WHO HE'S DEALING WITH
 Brian Feeney. Irish News ( Belfast)Wednesday, August28, 2013
 There  was much dismay but little surprise at the appearance of a gaggle of DUP
MlAs to support Ruth Patterson at her court appearance. Those dismayed gave
lectures about unionist leadership,  or rather the dearth of it,  but at the same
time explained their lack of surprise by pointing out the DUP's electoral
requirements. In short,  those guys turned up to secure their votes or the party's
votes in next year's council and european elections.

 Perhaps. However, as you've read here before, the people who complain about the
absence of leadership provided by the DUP are really complaining that the DUP
won't lead their party in the direction the complainants think they should. It's
just not true that the DUP is being led by the likes of Ruth Patterson. Many
senior members of the party agree with her sentiments.

 Fundamentally,  the appearance of DUP ministers and MlAs to back her up is no
different from the appearance of senior Sinn Fein figures to back prominent
republicans who have been arrested in connection with past alleged offences.
Anyone remember the large turnout of Sinn Fein's leaders (including members of the
Policing Board) at PSNI HQ to protest at the arrest of Padraic Wilson? Those
similarities apart, it's the behaviour of the DUP on the wider political scene
that causes dismay. In the past year , since the infamous letter to the then
proconsul demanding the removal of the Parades Commission and justifying
resistance to its determinations , the DUP has in effect acted as cheerleader to a
unionist revolt against the Good Friday Agreement and the subsequent St Andrews
and Hillsborough agreements.

 It's often forgotten that the DUP never subscribed to the Good Friday Agreement
and that senior figures rebelled against the St Andrews agreement, a deal
concocted to bring the DUP into the fold. Remember the dirty dozen who signed a
'manifesto' rejecting the deal and then caved in at the first roar from Paisley?
They're still around and include McCausland, Campbell, Wells, Storey, Buchanan and
Depooty Dawds. Several of the same culprits nearly scuppered the Hillsborough deal
to devolve policing and justice when they mounted a late night challenge to
Robinson's intention to accept the deal.

 It's a mistake therefore to imagine the DUP is a monolithic party. The recent
internal conflict about the Maze/long Kesh Peace Centre,  when Wilson had a frank
exchange of views on the phone with Robinson in Florida,  is only the latest
manifestation.

 As the outworkings of the various deals and arrangements since 2006 have begun to
take effect the misgivings of people such as the 'dirty dozen' have strengthened.
They offer no alternatives. They simply ensure that the DUP reneges on everything
they signed up to. No-one in the DUP has ever said a word in support of
partnership at Stormont let alone in councils. The party is hostile to equality
and human rights. They do not accept that there are legitimate competing
allegiances and identities in the north.

 In traditional unionist fashion the DUP has ridden the past year's wave of
violence to hold back progress. DUP councillors and MlAs who were out blocking the
streets with flag wavers were not there because they worry about their votes but
because they agree with the protesters. The violence has successfully offered
political cover for the DUP's lurch to the right on parades, flags and emblems and
dealing with the past. Which brings us to Richard Haass whose first meeting with
the all-party group on such matters is scheduled for September 16. The first point
he needs to ascertain is whether the DUP and UUP representatives are there as
members of the loyal orders or members of their parties. He needs to find out
because in the past year the DUP has thrown its lot in with the Orange Order
acting as its political mouthpiece. As for the Orange Order in Belfast, its
leaders have been quite happy to use UVF muscle in north and east Belfast to try
to enforce their will against police.

 In other words Haass must try to find out who the DUP members at the table are
really speaking for and whether the Orange Order and UVF have a veto on progress.