When I listen to politicians, especially but not exclusively unionist politicians, I have to keep reminding myself that there’s nothing personal, it’s just business. So when Gregory Campbell presents the stony face of irridentist unionism, no sympathy for the families of those who were gunned down on Bloody Sunday, it’s not personal (at least I hope not). And when Jeffrey Donaldson comes on BBC’s Question Time (as he did last night) and refuses to be glad that the truth (never mind justice – Saville was NOT the delivery of justice) was finally delivered about the Bloody Sunday victims, it’s not personal (at least I hope not). In both cases it’s business – the business of keeping their electorate happy, so that next time they go into a polling booth and they see Gregory or Jeffrey’s name on the ballot, they’ll say ‘Ach aye, that’s that Gregory/Jeffrey, he said just what I was thinking, that time on TV – he gets my vote’. It’s called pandering to the lowest common denominator as a means of getting re-elected. Gregory and Jeffrey at a personal level probably have feelings of real sympathy for the Bloody Sunday families. Don’t they? I mean....They do. Don’t they?
Honestly,I as an Irish Republican quite like old Jeff as a politician, he has the knack of putting his point across succinctly without getting my back up. He seems to me that one could do business with him (well comes across like that at least).
ReplyDeleteI could be persuaded to accept that he is playing to the gallery.
Gregory on the otherhand just comes across as what he is and has always been, a sectarian bigot who if he could get away with it, wouldn't have a fenian about the place.
Has any interviewer ever asked Jeffrey his views on race? Didn't he use to be Enoch Powells election agent? I doubt his views would differ much old Enoch.
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