Conservatives agree pact with DUP to support May government

[Chippy_Tea]

Will their different views on gay marriage and abortion become a problem and as John Major says damage the party in the longer term?

The Conservatives have reached an agreement with the Democratic Unionists which will see them support Theresa May's minority government.

The deal, which comes two weeks after the election resulted in a hung Parliament, will see the 10 DUP MPs back the Tories in key Commons votes.

There will be £1bn extra for Northern Ireland over the next two years.

DUP leader Arlene Foster said the "wide-ranging" agreement was "good for Northern Ireland and for the UK".

A three page document outlining the terms of the agreement has been published in full. The DUP said it would apply for the lifetime of the Parliament, scheduled to last five years, but would also be reviewed at the end of the current session in two years time.

There will be £1.5bn in funding - consisting of £1bn of new money and £500m of previously announced funds - to be spent over the next two years on infrastructure, health and education in Northern Ireland, money Mrs Foster said was needed to address the challenges from Northern Ireland's "unique history".

As part of the deal, the treatment of military veterans in Northern Ireland will be improved while the triple lock guarantee of 2.5% spending on pensions, and existing universal winter fuel payments, will be maintained throughout the UK.

Mrs May shook hands with DUP leader Arlene Foster as she and other senior party figures arrived at Downing Street on Monday to finalise the pact.

The two leaders then watched as Conservative chief whip Gavin Williamson and his DUP counterpart Jeffrey Donaldson signed the documents in No 10.

The Press Association quoted Mrs Foster as saying she was "delighted" with the arrangement while Mrs May believed the pact was a "very good one".

"We share many values in terms of wanting to see prosperity across the UK, the value of the union, the important bond between the different parts of the UK," Mrs May said.

"We very much want to see that protected and enhanced and we also share the desire to ensure a strong government, able to put through its programme and provide for issues like the Brexit negotiations, but also national security issues."

The BBC's political editor Laura Kuenssberg said it was "deal done" and she was expecting Mrs Foster to give more details in a brief statement outside Downing Street shortly.

Under the so-called "confidence and supply" arrangement, the DUP will line up behind the government in key votes, such as on the Queen's Speech and Budgets, which would threaten the government's survival if they were lost.

On other legislation, however, the DUP's support is not necessarily guaranteed - although the Northern Ireland party is expected to back the majority of the government's programme for the next two years after many of its more controversial policies were dropped.

Theresa May fell nine seats short of an overall majority after the snap election, meaning she is reliant on other parties to pass legislation, including relating to the terms of the UK's withdrawal from the EU.

The support of the DUP will give her an effective working majority of 13, given that Sinn Fein do not take up their seven seats and Speaker John Bercow and his three deputies - two of whom are Labour MPs - do not take part in votes.

Several senior Tories had advised her to govern without any formal agreement with the DUP, arguing the unionist party would not be prepared to bring Mrs May down and run the risk of triggering a fresh election given their longstanding hostility to Jeremy Corbyn and other senior Labour figures.

Former PM Sir John Major warned that a formal association with the DUP could undermine attempts to restore power-sharing government in Northern Ireland while some MPs said the DUP's socially conservative stance on issues such as gay marriage and abortion could damage the party in the longer term.

Labour have demanded details of how much the deal will cost UK taxpayers and what financial promises have been made.

BBC.

 

[Ajhutch]

What strikes me most is the fact the money in the agreement is all over the first two years, and the vote support in the agreement itself is for "the duration of the Parliament". Throw in the Article 50 expiry in March 2019, and the strong expectation that Theresa May can't last much longer than that as PM (if indeed she lasts that long) and it makes me believe that the "duration of the Parliament" will be shorter than usual, and we will be having another General Election in about two years.

 

[Vambrace]

What strikes me most is the fact the money in the agreement is all over the first two years, and the vote support in the agreement itself is for "the duration of the Parliament". Throw in the Article 50 expiry in March 2019, and the strong expectation that Theresa May can't last much longer than that as PM (if indeed she lasts that long) and it makes me believe that the "duration of the Parliament" will be shorter than usual, and we will be having another General Election in about two years.

I think there's every possibility that you're right - whatever your views are on 'strong and stable' the instability of another election during the negotiations is unlikely to be a good thing, although I think some sort of cross-party involvement might have been a good idea.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

The Billion pound handshake.

There will be £1bn extra for Northern Ireland over the next two years.


There will be £1.5bn in funding - consisting of £1bn of new money and £500m of previously announced funds - to be spent over the next two years on infrastructure, health and education in Northern Ireland, money Mrs Foster said was needed to address the challenges from Northern Ireland's "unique history".

As part of the deal, the military covenant will be implemented in full in Northern Ireland, meaning more focus on the treatment of military veterans, while the triple lock guarantee of at least a 2.5% rise in the state pension each year, and winter fuel payments, will be maintained throughout the UK.

Other key points of the agreement include:

The DUP will support the Tories on all Brexit and security legislation

The UK's 2% Nato defence spending target will continue to be met

Cash support for farmers will remain at current levels until the next election

Both parties to adhere to commitments in Good Friday Agreement

No Irish border poll without "consent of the people"

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-40403434

 

[MyQul]

1 Billion pound golden hello :shock:

So what happened to austerity? There's sure as $hit a magic money tree now. Where the hell is this 1 bn coming from? So all those anti-corbyn voices saying his manifesto was just sweeties to lure voters, T.May seems to have opened the whole sweetie shop for the DUP

 

[dad_of_jon]

1 Billion pound golden hello :shock:

So what happened to austerity? There's sure as $hit a magic money tree now. Where the hell is this 1 bn coming from? So all those anti-corbyn voices saying his manifesto was just sweeties to lure voters, T.May seems to have opened the whole sweetie shop for the DUP

TM found it down the back of the sofa at no10. - With a note: This belongs to DC

 

[MyQul]

TM found it down the back of the sofa at no10. - With a note: This belongs to DC

I doubt there was a note. DC probably didnt even notice he'd lost it

 

[trueblue]

1 Billion pound golden hello :shock:

So what happened to austerity? There's sure as $hit a magic money tree now. Where the hell is this 1 bn coming from? So all those anti-corbyn voices saying his manifesto was just sweeties to lure voters, T.May seems to have opened the whole sweetie shop for the DUP

To right. Where will the money for this bribe come from, you me and all the other mugs called taxpayers, how many NHS operations will be cancelled. Call me old fashion but I think it's nice to be kissed while your being f*cked.

 

[MyQul]

To right. Where will the money for this bribe come from, you me and all the other mugs called taxpayers, how many NHS operations will be cancelled. Call me old fashion but I think it's nice to be kissed while your being f*cked.

And all to keep T.May in power. I dont think voters are quite as stupid as she thinks. I suspect the Conservatives are going to get a right kicking come the next election (whenever that is)

This little stunt will **** everyone off. Labour & Lib Dem voters will be ****** off so they'll be out voting in large number and Conservative voters will be ****** off so they'll stay at home and not vote for her/the conservatives (cant imagine they switch to Corbyn and Labour, although some might switch to Lib Dem)

 

[Dutto]

The immediate response from SWMBO was ...

"I thought that buying and selling votes was against the law in this country."​

She's correct of course, but I still wonder why I can't sell MY vote to politicians ... :nono: :nono:

... but the same politicians can sell their own votes, or buy the votes of other politicians, when they get to Parliament.

One of Shakespeare's lines in Hamlet is ...

"Something is rotten in the state of Denmark."​

Well, I think it is time we looked a lot closer to home! :thumb:

 

[pms67]

Some people are just Whores

But at least they are Loyalist,consistent,strong and stable

 

[IainM]

This was just to vote for the Queen's speech and few other essentials too. God knows how much money, or what sort of concessions, they'll manage to extract once May wants to do pretty much anything other than barely keep afloat.

 

[jceg316]

No matter how right or left wing you are in Britain, there's a general consensus that climate change is happening, life evolved over billions of years, majority of people are pro choice. For a party to become highly influential which denies climate change, denies the theory of evolution and is anti-choice goes against the interest of the British people, and I'd also imagine a lot of Northern Irish citizens. There's a lot of Conservative voters who hate this partnership as much as Lib Dems and Labour voters, because their views were not voted in and do not represent the vast majority of the British people.

 

[pms67]

A new election would see JC cruise it

 

[MyQul]

Having browsed most of the papers today, they're all refering to this as a 'bung'. Even the Telegraph reckons the DUP will be back for more. This is just to keep May in power plain and simple and everyone knows it.

The Tory MP's must be furious with her because come the election Labour will have plenty of new ammo to fire at the Tories, whereas the Tories will just have the same old stuff that they used in the last election. They wont even be able to accuse Labour of wasting money like they usually do because Labour can simply point to the DUP 'bung' (plus whatever else May has to promise the DUP to keep them on side in the coming months.)

I'm surprised there isnt more outrage about this. You can imagine how the papers would have reacted if Corbyn did this.

I think if your a right of centre voter you've got a serious problem. The Conservatives have a strangle hold on that voting demographic. There's simply noone else to vote for if your not happy with the Tories, as I'm sure most Tory voters arent going to vote Labour instead. If your Left of centre you've have Labour, Lib Dems or the Green Party. There used to be UKIP for anyone not happy with the Conservatives but they've imploded now. May just seems to be doing whatever she wants irrespective of her party or the country which is detrimental to both

 

[shepp]

1 Billion pound golden hello :shock:

So what happened to austerity? There's sure as $hit a magic money tree now. Where the hell is this 1 bn coming from? So all those anti-corbyn voices saying his manifesto was just sweeties to lure voters, T.May seems to have opened the whole sweetie shop for the DUP

I think it's known as borrowing money.

https://youtu.be/jnoos3-wLiQ

 

[AlanManley]

Utterly ridiculous that it's legal for her to "buy" her seat...
Surely someone has to stop this nonsense?

Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk

 

[MyQul]

I think it's known as borrowing money.

https://youtu.be/jnoos3-wLiQ

More like using tax payers money for party political intestest .i.e keeping T.May in power

 

[IainM]

It is selling out to the most extreme party in the commons. Pure and simple. James Callaghan was approached by the DUP to save his minority government and rejected the offer out of principle. He paid a heavy price for it. May doesn't have such principles, but the price of doing the deal may be even heavier for her. From PoliticsHome:

Roy Hattersley was a relatively new Cabinet minister at the time and recalls one extraordinary approach he received.

“The day before the vote of censure, John Smith and Ann Taylor were having a drink in my room when we were startled by Enoch Powell coming in and offering us six Ulster Unionist votes in return for some sign that we were sympathetic to Unionism. He suggested this sign should be a gas pipeline, linking Ulster to the rest of Britain. We were unanimous we could do this and save the government but Jim Callaghan wouldn’t have it, saying ‘The government is not for sale.’ ”

Finally, the only hope of saving Callaghan’s administration seemed to be if every sick Labour MP was summoned to Westminster to vote. It had become a distressing but regular sight in these years, the sickest MPs being ‘nodded through’ the voting lobbies while actually lying in ambulances outside.

The hardest decision was whether to summon the Labour member, Sir Alfred Broughton, a doctor, who was mortally ill but determined to vote. Eventually, it was decided the journey would be too risky for a dying man. ‘Doc’ Broughton duly stayed at home, the government lost by one vote, triggering an election which would bring Margaret Thatcher to power. Forty years later, former whip Ann Taylor still thinks it was the wrong decision: “I thought then, and I still think to this day, that we should have let him come. He died five days later... he wanted to come and if he had died on the way back home I think he would have died happy that he had saved the Labour government.”

 

[terrym]

It would be interesting to know what would have been said had Labour ended up with more votes and more seats than the Tories (and therefore had a legitimate claim to form a government unlike at present), but still in a hung parliament. Who would they have had to jump into bed with? The SNP of course, whose popularity is well recorded on this Forum and elsewhere. So to keep themselves in power they would have had to come up with some sort of deal, just like the Tories have done with the DUP. Who knows what sweeties would they have had to give away to sustain SNP support, except perhaps those from both sides who had quiet chats before the election to explore what could be done, and something the common man is unlikely to hear about.
Anyway its politics.
That's how democracies work in these situations.
Like it or not.