There is a particular line which Gordon Brown’s PR people via the BBC have been relentlessly spinning since yesterday’s Commons vote that I wanted to comment on. The BBC have been playing Gordon Brown’s comment that to suggest a shoddy deal was done with the DUP MP’s – the notorious nine – impugns the integrity of a party that has more experience than most of dealing with terrorism. The use of this Northern Ireland terror-related dimension is intended to copper-fasten Browns’ position and support the DUP’s integrity and the BBC has not seen fit to challenge it in any way.
Indeed the DUP does have more experience than most of dealing with terrorism – it sits in power with terrorist godfathers, it accepts convicted terrorists onto the Policing Board for Northern Ireland, and of course it turns a blind eye to terrorist murders such as that of 21yr old Paul Quinn. The DUP are quite happy to prostitute their principles for power, just like Brown. That may be viewed by some as fine but please let us not accept that there is any integrity with a party of political whores such as the DUP to be impugned in the first place. Where once the DUP was mercilessly mocked by the BBC, it is now presented as a party of great honour. This is what happens when you sell out your principles.