… to partaaaay? No, fight for the right wing.
The TUV have obviously decided to engage the enemy, but on their own turf – the extreme right wing of unionism. As this blog pointed out on 29 October, the DUP, despite having been in a position of power and dominating the unionist end of the spectrum, appears to have moved further right-wards in an attempt to counter the threat from the TUV, and thereby alienating themselves from more moderate unionist opinion.
The TUV, comfortable in their extreme position, appear to be accentuating their über-unionist credentials, either in respone to the DUP, or as a taunt to them.
Today, for example, the TUV have released a press release specifically mimicking the DUP's previous insults against the Irish language – TUV Blast Leprechaun Language Waste – using language that, while it will annoy Irish speakers and supporters, is not actually aimed at them. The TUV's unsubtle message is aimed at the DUP, and it says 'we're more extreme than you, and we can prove it by using language that you are now more circumspect about'.
The battle for the extreme right wing of unionism is continuing. It may, with luck, lead to a pyrrhic victory for one or other side.
Update:
During the course of the day the TUV changed the title of their press release. In the morning it was 'TUV Blast Leprechaun Language Waste', but by the evening it had become 'TUV Blast Irish Language Waste'.
What does this signify? A softening of TUV bile against the language? Is the TUV getting in touch with its softer side? Guilt at being nasty?
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2 comments:
If either of these parties were to do a little language research they would find that Scots Gaelic (i.e. proper Scottish, not the dreadful 'Ulster Scots' doggerel) derives from the 7th century kingdom of Dalriada when Ulster had extensively colonised the western seaboard of Scotland. This is confirmed by the still great similarities between Scots Gaelic and Irish. BTW we also introduced the Uileann pipes to them, but the less said about their experimentation with these the better.
It is therefore rather sad that the extreme unionists cannot find something a bit more genuine to celebrate in their Scottish ancestry than contorted dialects of English. If they wanted to learn proper Scots Gaelic then they need go no further than their local gaelscoil.
Or both nationalists and unionists could grunt like monkeys - even more archaic and cultural...
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