Mike Nesbitt – Page 3 – Slugger O'Toole

Nesbitt:”This is about the Union, this is about putting Unionism first, this is about the good of Northern Ireland.” #UUP2014

David McCann on October 19, 2014, 11:53 am

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Yesterday as the Ulster Unionist conference wrapped up I sat down with the party leader, Mike Nesbitt to discuss the last election, Unionist unity and the party’s prospects for the upcoming Wesminster election. I began by asking him about the last election, how did he feel about the UUPs moderate improvement from 2011? Well I wasn’t looking at the percentage, I was looking at the total number of people getting elected and we got 99 and that is the equivalent …

#UUP2014 conference review & audio: “We want Fermanagh South Tyrone … we can win the Westminster seat”

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on October 18, 2014, 4:42 pm

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Around 300 people filled the Ramada Hotel venue, marginally younger than previous years, and during the morning extra chairs had to be brought in to add a couple more back rows. It’s clear that the UUP have internally stabilised and while they emphasised their growth in the local government election, it’s not clear yet that their “shrink to grow” policy has come to fruition. Westminster candidates Jo-Anne Dobson (Upper Bann) and Danny Kinahan (South Antrim) were showcased. Both spoke confidently, …

Nesbitt on Unionist unity and the Westminster election

David McCann on October 15, 2014, 7:00 am

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Ahead of the UUP Conference on Saturday, Irish News political correspondent, John Manley sat down with the party leader, Mike Nesbitt to discuss Unionist unity and the upcoming Westminster elections. Let’s begin with the UUP target seats for the upcoming election that Nesbitt thinks are ripe for his party He identifies DUP-held South Antrim and Upper Bann as seats where the UUP is most likely to prosper, but admits that success elsewhere is likely to rely on a pact of …

TUV, SDLP and UUP host victims commemoration at Stormont

Turgon on March 11, 2014, 10:47 pm

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Alan has a post on the Alternative Ms. Ulster event hosted by Steven Agnew at Stormont on Sunday complete with the inspiring / daring / indecent, speech/ behaviour by Ms. Park. In contrast yesterday the UUP, SDLP and TUV hosted the third annual day of remembrance for victims of terrorism. 120 people attended and three people spoke: Michelle Nixon who has been caring for her brother since he was seriously injured in 1979 by an IRA bomb in Rosslea; June …

Cartoon – Hear Nesbitt roar!

Brian Spencer on February 18, 2014, 2:05 pm

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<div data-boourl=”https://audioboo.fm/boos/1928083-uup-leader-mike-nesbitt-says-poots-must-go-bbcnolan/embed?eid=AQAAAKBnA1OTax0A” ><a href=”https://audioboo.fm/boos/1928083-uup-leader-mike-nesbitt-says-poots-must-go-bbcnolan”>listen to ‘UUP leader Mike Nesbitt says "Poots must go" #BBCNolan’ on Audioboo</a></div><script type=”text/javascript”>(function() { var po = document.createElement(“script”); po.type = “text/javascript”; po.async = true; po.src = “https://d15mj6e6qmt1na.cloudfront.net/assets/embed.js”; var s = document.getElementsByTagName(“script”)[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(po, s); })();</script> Not like we haven’t heard it before. Brian SpencerBrian is a writer, artist, political cartoonist and legal blogger. Actively tweeting from @brianjohnspencr. More information here: http://www.brianjohnspencer.com/ www.brianjohnspencer.com/

Nesbitt recommends politics over further street protests; McCallister disses talk of “culture wars” in speech to Ulster GAA

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on November 10, 2013, 12:00 pm

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In other non-SDLP news, the Belfast Telegraph report that Ulster Unionist leader Mike Nesbitt has told party colleagues via an internal bulletin that the tactic of flag protests should cease. The tactics used to protest over the flag have alienated many who instinctively supported the cause … He warned against disrupting Belfast city centre and its traders for a second Christmas. I hear talk of rallies, parades and protests. As ever, I understand and support the right for lawful and …

#UUP2013 Legacy proposals for mental health hub, education and the economy along with attacks on DUP and SF

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on October 20, 2013, 10:00 pm

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UUP members seemed on a high at Saturday’s conference. They were relaxed and not on edge. They’d put the party’s internal troubles (“shrinking to grow”) behind them. Not a single mention of Basil, John, NI21, David McNarry or even Lord Maginnis. No major slip-ups. No longer any talk about Mike Nesbitt taking over as Minister for Regional Development. Though under the calm water, there was evidence of some thrashing over council candidate selection and some older councillors changing their minds …

The fear of ‘them’: “They start a process of neutralisation” and then “they start imposing their Irish language [and] their Sinn Fein republican agenda onto everyone”

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on October 20, 2013, 10:12 am

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The UUP suffer from the same problem as their larger rival: there’s a tension between the leader’s more moderate language and the more traditional and hard line rhetoric of other elected representatives. Here’s a portion from Mike Nesbitt’s speech as party leader: [Mike Nesbitt] I say this to the pro-Union community: It is time to get on the front foot. Be confident. But be generous too. I am not the sort of Unionist who feels threatened by an Irish Tricolour. …

More #Twaddell: DUP, dupes and duplicity.

John Ó Néill on September 30, 2013, 12:56 pm

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The onus is now upon nationalism to show leadership and to respond positively to this genuine attempt to reach accommodation. They must face down the elements in their community who wish to drag Northern Ireland back. So says DUP ‘leader’ Peter Robinson, but presumably not in reference to his party members who were advocating burning tricolours, defacing religious statues, indulging in murder fantasies, okay with assaults on the mayor or happy to be seen at UVF parades. Robinson was actually …

Mike Nesbitt vacillating on policy and unionist co-operation over the last twelve months

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on February 26, 2013, 10:30 am

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Modern politicians must sometimes read biographies of past politicians and long to have lived and worked in a world where only major speeches were reported and their every word wasn’t recorded, indexed and placed in the public filing cabinet that is the internet. Here’s a selection of what UUP Mike Nesbitt has been saying about policies and unionist co-operation over the last twelve months. 15 March 2012 – Over the weekend I was reminded that Mike Nesbitt launched his UUP …

The shrinking heart of the UUP: A lucky 13?

Mick Fealty on February 20, 2013, 1:08 pm

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So, there’s a lot of people looking at the crisis in the UUP and coming to a conclusion they hope is true. In fact Mike Nesbitt put in decent performance on Spotlight last night, but I think Emmett Doyle is not far from the truth when writes: The Party need to come up with some answers, and fast. With respect to the other MLA’s currently in the Assembly, I would dare say the man and woman on the street would …

Basil McCrea finally throws in the towel … from where can UUP find hope?

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on February 15, 2013, 10:33 amComments Off | Readers 525

Two months ago on 15 December, UUP leader uttered the following phrase on Evening Extra: If we have to shrink to grow, we will After John McCallister’s resignation last night, Basil McCrea has followed this morning, burning his bridges on the Nolan show. listen to ‘Basil McCrea reveals he is quitting the UUP. ’ on Audioboo Which means that the Opposition back corner in the Assembly chamber is expanding. listen to ‘Eamonn Maillie & Alex Kane comment on the news …

Nesbitt concedes unity in a seat that no unionist can realistically win?

Mick Fealty on January 30, 2013, 9:42 am

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So, according to the News Letter, Mike Nesbitt didn’t ask his constituency party in Mid Ulster whether they wanted a Unionist unity candidate, or not. He may not have done much of the longer term math either, or calculated that the principle he’s ceding here is that his party no longer has any designs on have representation at Westminster. As Sam McBride notes, unity candidate or not, this is a nationalist seat in waiting: If the three unionist parties’ votes …

Cartoon: #flegs #legs #begs

Brian Spencer on January 15, 2013, 11:11 pm

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Your captions please! Brian SpencerBrian is a writer, artist, political cartoonist and legal blogger. Actively tweeting from @brianjohnspencr. More information here: http://www.brianjohnspencer.com/ www.brianjohnspencer.com/

That Mayan issue…

Brian Spencer on December 22, 2012, 12:52 pm

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So there we had it: the world didn’t end for us all yesterday. But is there still a figure looming large? Brian SpencerBrian is a writer, artist, political cartoonist and legal blogger. Actively tweeting from @brianjohnspencr. More information here: http://www.brianjohnspencer.com/ www.brianjohnspencer.com/

Caption Competition

Brian Spencer on December 18, 2012, 2:37 pm

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Things seem to have fallen a little silent on the Nesbitt front but let’s not let sleeping dogs lie! Brian SpencerBrian is a writer, artist, political cartoonist and legal blogger. Actively tweeting from @brianjohnspencr. More information here: http://www.brianjohnspencer.com/ www.brianjohnspencer.com/

Saturn Devouring His Son

Brian Spencer on December 14, 2012, 10:03 pm

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Full acknowledgements to Francisco Goya. Brian SpencerBrian is a writer, artist, political cartoonist and legal blogger. Actively tweeting from @brianjohnspencr. More information here: http://www.brianjohnspencer.com/ www.brianjohnspencer.com/

UUP: A party with less and less visible means of political support…

Mick Fealty on October 2, 2012, 11:22 am

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Fairly brutal says Basil McCrea. But John McCallister is gone as Deputy leader of the UUP. Why? For making this speech to the Young Unionists on the future of Unionism at the weekend. Nesbitt loyalists grumble that McCallister (Nesbitt’s defeated rival in the recent leadership election) was doing little more than laying out his alternative vision for the party. Odd when you think he’s supposed to be Deputy leader. Picking a fight over Nesbitt’s call for Unionist unity was presumably …

UUP Conference: Mike Nesbitt’s leader speech

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on September 22, 2012, 2:44 pm

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UUP gavel

In his first speech as leader to the UUP Conference, Mike Nesbitt outlined his vision to end sectarianism, claimed to understand social justice, and spoke frequently about ‘lost opportunities’. The UUP was a party for everyone who was pro-Union. In a very long speech (45 minutes) he called for “a road map for the way ahead for the next generation … that shows where we want to go, and identifies the best route to get there”. He characterised the 10-20 …

Lord Maginnis resigns from UUP after failing to secure Mike Nesbitt’s resignation as party leader

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on August 28, 2012, 2:42 pm

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UUP gavel

The News Letter’s Sam McBride has neatly [Ed – and quickly] summed up the state of the failing failed relationship between Lord Maginnis and Mike Nesbitt. A set of email exchanges outline Maginnis’ demands for action following his perceived humiliation, and Nesbitt’s offer (early this morning) to hastily restore the whip to prevent Maginnis’ resignation statement this afternoon. One email sent by Lord Maginnis to Mr Nesbitt on 17 August after a meeting between the two men said: I, having …