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Comments

Justin Hinchcliffe

Lovely article - thank you. I am glad that things are working out there between the parties. I hear that the Downs is a good place to holiday?

Neil Wilson

"For too many Brits it’s the undiscovered gem on their doorstep."

Not for me thankfully!

Even though I don't live there anymore I still consider it the best place in the world, even though it represents pre-Thatcher Britain in terms of welfarism and work attitudes.

In many ways the troubles left NI stuck in 1969, which isn't all bad. Community cohesion is strong and in general people are friendlier and less ignorant. If a burgler alarm goes off, people will actually go and see what's going on.

I feel the local Conservatives are in the curious position of being more Unionist than the rest, yet they don't seem to advertise that fact. If it was pointed out that they were a truely British party, with members all over the UK, they might perform a bit better and attract a lot more votes (from both sides of the community).

They seem content to act like a holier-than-thou Alliance party clone and old boys network for English businessmen living in North Down at the moment. I'm all for moving things onto a different political plane but they have to realise that some things will never change, namely the centralism of Unionism to any party that hopes to win in Northern Ireland.

Umbrella man

Excellent piece Cameron. I hope the NI Tourist Board are paying you!

Simon Newman

I think all NI parties should be campaigning to lower the corporation tax rate; if the Scots were smart they'd do the same.

Michael Shilliday

Quite so Neil. They were shouting about huge defections from the UUP last year, they still didn't manage to attract more than 4000 votes across NI. If I lived on GB, I'd be a Conservative (not withstanding Cameron), but in NI, the local Tories are a joke, with nothing to offer unionism. They even bost that they wont designate as Unionist in the parallel universe where they get MLA's elected.

Michael Shilliday

Quite so Neil. They were shouting about huge defections from the UUP last year, they still didn't manage to attract more than 4000 votes across NI. If I lived on GB, I'd be a Conservative (not withstanding Cameron), but in NI, the local Tories are a joke, with nothing to offer unionism. They even bost that they wont designate as Unionist in the parallel universe where they get MLA's elected.

Northern Ireland

Michael Shilliday lies through his teeth in his comments as usual. Northern Ireland Conservatives would designate unionist, as we made clear at the latest election. The question about whether we have anything to offer unionism is a laughable concept; Conservative politics are about a hell of a lot more. Shill by name, shill by nature.

Good to see NI is in the popular consciousness again, though, and any like minded Conservatives planning to visit Northern Ireland should drop good solid tories like me a line. Beer here is getting better.

Michael Shilliday

So not you're boasting about a massive policy u-turn for the local Tories. Well done Julian.

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