The DUP is a right-wing populist[5]
party. It is characterized by its Ulster loyalist position, which it
has staunchly held since its inception. Ulster loyalism, with its aim
for continued inclusion of Northern Ireland in the UK, has been
identified as a type of ethnic nationalism.[42] The DUP has historically been associated with paramilitarism and in recent years has been supported by paramilitary Ulster loyalist groups such as the Ulster Defence Association, the Ulster Volunteer Force and the Red Hand Commando, which have been proscribed terrorist organisations.[43]The DUP is in favour of a “soft Brexit”, opposes a hard Irish border,[4][45] and wishes to maintain the Common Travel Area.[46]East Antrim MP Sammy Wilson caused controversy in March 2016 during a BBC Spotlight
episode discussing the implications of the EU referendum, when it was
implied that he agreed with a member of the public who said that he
wanted to “get the ethnics out” of Northern Ireland post-Brexit.[47]The party is socially conservative and has vetoed the legalisation of same-sex marriage in Northern Ireland since 2015, in opposition to the Republic of Ireland and the rest of the United Kingdom.[48] Former DUP minister Jim Wells called the issue a “red line”
for power-sharing talks, adding that “Peter will not marry Paul in
Northern Ireland”, adding “We will strangle that idea at birth …
nobody wants it except Gerry Adams anyway.”[49]The DUP maintains that it is a “pro-life”
party and have campaigned strongly against any extension of abortion
rights to the country, […].[46][50] They have opposed extra funding for international family planning programmes.[50]
Campaigners say their actions have forced thousands of women to travel
elsewhere for terminations, or to rely on abortion pills bought online.[46]The DUP has previously appointed a climate change denier as environment minister in Northern Ireland, and it counts a number of creationists among its senior members.[46]
They made the National Trust list creationism as the cause of various notable rock formations in Northern Ireland, and if you search for the word “abortion” on their website your IP address gets blocked
Dear god. Thank you for these valuable, batshit additions.
Tag: dup
The DUP’s Wikipedia page keeps getting hijacked and it’s very NSFW
As Theresa May seeks to form a government with the Northern Irish DUP, thought it might be best you get an idea of who they are.
Now I’m heading out for a last day in the sun. It’s been a late night and an early morning so I’ll be having a break for a bit.
Rest easy folks, you deserve a break.
I don’t suppose you have sources for the quotes?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/ni/2007/12/are_religious_politicians_nutt.html
Theresa May’s new partners in government have strong historical links with Loyalist paramilitary groups. Specifically, the terrorist group Ulster Resistance was founded by a collection of people who went on to be prominent DUP politicians. Peter Robinson, for example, who was DUP leader and Northern Ireland’s first minister until last year, was an active member of Ulster Resistance. The group’s activities included collaborating with other terrorist groups including the Ulster Volunteer Force, to smuggle arms into the UK, such as RPG rocket launchers.
Of course, Northern Ireland has moved towards peace, and the DUP, like their opponents in Sinn Fein, have rescinded violence. As part of that normalisation, the fact that parties which include people who have rescinded violence can be brought into the democratic process is a good thing. But for the Tories to end an election campaign which they spent attacking Corbyn for his alleged links to former Northern Irish terrorists by going into coalition with a party founded by former Northern Irish terrorists would be a deep irony….
The DUP also fights hard against women’s right to choose to have an abortion, making them the biggest pro-forced pregnancy party in the UK. The results in Northern Ireland are utterly grim for the many women each year who are in need of an abortion.
Despite being climate change deniers, they used their role in government in Northern Ireland to set up a subsidy scheme for biofuels, which gave those who bought into it more money than they had to pay out. The Northern Irish exchequer ended up paying out around half a billion pounds to those who knew about the scheme, leading to a scandal known as ‘cash for ash’, and a major investigation into whether DUP staff and supporters personally benefitted.
The DUP have fought to stop equal marriage, making Northern Ireland the only part of this archipelago without equal relationship rights. Last year, DUP MP Sammy Wilson was caught up in a scandal when a member of the public said that Northern Ireland ought to “get the ethnics out”, and he appeared to reply “you are absolutely right”.
The party backed Brexit, and as openDemocracy exposed earlier in the year, accepted a donation of £435,000 to pay for campaign materials across the UK. Under pressure, they admitted that the cash came from a shady group called the Constitutional Research Council, which is chaired by Scottish Tory Richard Cook. openDemocracy research showed that Cook founded a company in 2013 with the former head of the Saudi intelligence service, and a man who admitted to us that he was involved in a notorious incident in which hundreds of Kalashnikovs were flown to Hindu terrorists in West Bengal in 1995.
Urocyon's Jaunts 2.0 