As the saying went; June could have been the end of May. Polling day came and went, and the glimmer of hope began to waver. Labour did well to take back as many seats as they did, and though they did not win what they did was give a political gut-punch to the Conservative government. An election that had been called to mask allegations of electoral fraud, and as a way for May to strengthen her majority and drive for her car-crash Brexit backfired spectacularly. No party holds the majority. It is about to get very ‘interesting’ in British politics.
But wait, what’s that?
Theresa May’s short speech to the press after visiting the Queen mentions an arrangement with the DUP? For those not au fair with the DUP or what they stand for, prepare for a shock. To cut a long story short they are anti-abortion, climate-change deniers, creationists, and anti-equal marriage. For the Conservative government to so freely announce a deal with this party shows how desperate they are to cling onto power. Theresa May’s nails are sunk deep into the doorframe of 10 Downing Street, as the electorate is trying to drag her out.
‘Why’s it so bad?’ You may ask. ‘They just want the extra votes from the DUP for a majority to pass legislation in parliament. Why’s that so bad?’
It’s bad because no deal is a one-way street. In return for providing a crutch to the Conservative Government, what will they be asking in return? Do we want to see the policies of this party enacted in any way across the rest of the UK? This party does not believe that a woman should be in charge of her own body. This party believes that the biblical story of creation should be taught in Schools as Science. This party is denying LGBTQI people of Northern Ireland the right to marry the person they love.
There is also the very thorny issue of destabilising the peace of Northern Ireland. The Good Friday Agreement is put in jeopardy. The UK Government can show no favour to any one party of Northern Ireland. This is yet another example of May’s unscrupulous and unthinking bid to stay in power. The blinkers are on and she’s charging forward no matter what.
SNAP!