Do you wanna be in my gang?

I wonder why Cameron went for the UUP who have only one MP in Parliament when the DUP have nine? Though the numbers in Stormont are better for the UUP who have 18 members to the 36 that the DUP have there the DUP are currently the biggest unionist party in Northern Ireland.

Maybe Cameron thinks the UUP are on the up.

"In particular, Mr Cameron is hoping to employ a similar tactic to win votes in Scotland."

A weird statement from the Telegraph. The Conservative party already operates in Scotland and if they're going to make a deal with another party the only two which are:

a) Unionist, and
b) Right wing

are Labour and the Lib-Dems.

Maybe the de-facto Unionist alliance in Scotland is going to be formalised or perhaps more realistically the Telegraph hasn't a clue about what it's talking about.

It will be difficult for the Labour Party to do something similar to Cameron's plan in Northern Ireland. It's only since 2003 and the threat of legal action under the Race Relations Act that they've actually allowed residents of Northern Ireland to join as members and they still don't organise or put up candidates there.

The only choice they have is the SDLP who have 3 MP's but who want reunification with the South. Not a policy which will go down well with the Unionism of Labour.

When you think of it Labour should do a deal with the DUP who supported them on the 42 days detention bill. Unionist, authoritarian and already with a proven record of supporting Labour, Labour and the DUP are a match made in heaven.

Cameron better watch out his little ploy doesn't back-fire.

That's that then, no answer to the WLQ but further entrenchment of England in the Northern Irish quagmire. does Cameron think English people want to be ruled by more sectarian and anti English bigots than we already have? ulster unionists are keen on regional assemblies for England, I wonder what price Cameron's sour little Englanders will have to pay for this?

Cameron think English people want to be ruled by more sectarian and anti English bigots than we already have

Then why didn't he choose the DUP, whose views on the permissive society (eg homosexuality) would have sat very well with the typical Mr Angry Tory of Tunbridge Wells.

Cameron has made a brave decision here, the UUP are by far the weakest of the two parties, but they do contain a number of genuinely non-sectarian, secular and outwardly-looking young UK Unionists. Talent that could do a good job for him both in Ni and on the mainland.
Could that be a reason for this move?

"Perhaps the scrapping of their long-held policy of English Votes on English Laws was with a view to bringing the Ulster Unionists on board".

Note, however, that Cameron was scrupulously careful to refer only to UK-wide matters when he talked of the kind of mainstream UK concerns that N. Irish people would now have the option of voting on. Cameron is desperate to avoid the charge that he risks replacing the West Lothian Question with the Ulster Question.

Hence, English pauses for English clauses, as you've dubbed Ken Clarke's recommendation, might allow him - spuriously - to pretend that UUP MPs are not determining the shape of England-only laws, even though their votes on them could be decisive.

What a bloody disgrace!

[...] so committed to saving the discredited centralised British state that he’s working on a merger with the Ulster Unionists - well, it’s not as if the Tories are having any luck in Scotland or Wales. Since the UUP is [...]

“In particular, Mr Cameron is hoping to employ a similar tactic to win votes in Scotland.”

Maybe he heard someone mention the "Tartan Tories" and thought it was a new political party.

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