In Government without a Government | Are we really going to ignore the elephant in the room?


In Government without a Government: are we really going to ignore the elephant in the room? 

As Theresa May cinches the waist and adds the finishing touches to her new coalition government with the DUP, Northern Ireland stick their heads out of their metaphorical window, squint into the distance and mutter, “There the politicians are! Haven’t seen them in a few months.”

That is the reality of the most peculiar situation we find ourselves in; the largest party in Northern Ireland, backed by thousands of voters, completely unprepared to establish some sense of normality and form a local assembly. The DUP suffered significant seat losses in the last Assembly election a mere 3 months ago, and their quibble with Sinn Fein has left Stormont in a state of perpetual collapse (one assumes that during this time the Secretary of State is wandering through the rubble, muttering to himself about Brexit and a shared future.) Meanwhile, in the same breath and not even a stone throws down the timeline later, the DUP are shoving through the crowds to jump into bed with May and the Tories. 

After the carpet was swept out under the feet of the SDLP and UUP in their comfortable MP seats, it left the same old, same old DUP/Sinn Fein carve up to rule the roost. The only thing that hasn’t changed this election time is the abstention policy Sinn Fein hold on to, and the result has been catastrophic – a party whose moral politics make the Conservatives look like free spirits given free reign to join the government in what has already been dubbed a “coalition of chaos.” The DUP are inching forward into the forefront of Westminster; all we can do is watch the circus.

“I make no apology for wanting the best for Northern Ireland and all of the union,” Foster intoned, while simultaneously leading a party who not only encourage but uphold anti-LBGT, anti-women’s rights and pro-Christian stances. Their track record for racism, homophobia and misogyny is appalling at best, and should not be taken lightly by citizens in any corner of the UK. Additionally, there is a certain irony to being mandated to slide to the front of a government of whom which same-sex marriage, abortion and hate crime laws are all well within legality while simultaneously denying these to people giving them the same mandate at home. Which will it be, Arlene?

“The shape of Northern Ireland’s politics” is a phrase we continuously hear, when the truth is this: there is no shape to it. Westminster continue to pay the wages of MLAs who do not take their seats, and there is no provision for government other than pushing the administration onto our civil service. Put simply, my question is this: if the DUP cannot handle a provincial government head role, how can they handle the running of Britain? How can they be trusted, even, three economic and numerous political scandals later?*

A future with Conservative rule is one that is already extremely bleak – austerity, food banks and rampant poverty are a side to Britain rarely shown but very prominent. Their return to power is now not only scary economically, but comes bolstered by a party of whom know little of political compromise or softening. The acceptance of Foster as a part of Parliament legitimises her unwillingness to rebuild the Assembly, and once again puts the future of Northern Ireland’s people and the devolved powers on the back burner.

 Subsumed by an aesthetic of stability during Brexit and wielding power over Labour, the Tories have continued to throw our government to the wayside. When I get an ETA on us actually owning a functioning, legislating government, I’ll let you all know. In the meantime, I’ll just lay in amongst the debris and hope that I’m strong and stable enough to last that long.

___________________________________

Katrina xo

___________________________________

*The DUP have been involved with a number of economic scandals, as well as scandals pertaining to issues of social justice, religion and education. Information on them can be found below:
Nama
Red Sky
RHI
Pastor McConnell
Racism
Racism
More Racism
Homophobia

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Forgotten End of Autism

Image
I spent last night in my room in peace. I went to bed around 11, watching a TV show and enjoying the silence of my house. My brother wasn't home for the first time in a while, and we were able to relax for a few hours. The night before, I went to bed at 11, frustrated as I'd just had an argument with my mum. We were both exhausted as, for the fifth time that day, we'd dealt with my 17-year-old brother having a meltdown over - I kid you not - the Teletubbies. There is no physical way to explain to someone who hasn't experienced autism what the emotional labour is like on a family. It challenges one beyond what they think they can cope with, because it forces us to take a look at life's fundamental question: what   is   the point? The issue I broach is one that is rarely expressed in mainstream media and politics - that autism is not and never has been one uniform block of distinction. The actuality is this: autistic people are no mor...
Read more
After doing a reading of a set of poems I'd written first as a journal entry and then decided I wanted to share, I received a lot of interest in this particular poem. A few people have asked if they could read it independently of myself. I'm just going to leave it here for anyone that wishes to read it; I assure you it's much better read aloud. Thank you so much for all of your love and support xx -- i’m falling in love with my therapist (hard) My mind is my home, he says. If I could control it, I’d have black marble countertops And an island in the kitchen. I’d wrap fairy lights gently around the white bannisters And hang pictures on every wall The windows would be open in any weather. I’d scrub it clean at least once a week I’d pay the rent on time and give the landlord Christmas gifts. You can’t control everything, he says, Which explains why I blame myself when something goes wrong. I apologise profusely when others damage my home. ...
Read more