The Tories have just announced long-awaited details of their ‘confidence and supply’ deal with the anti-abortion, anti-LGBT political crackpots known as the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) – a party that also has links to Ulster paramilitaries who gunned down a political opponent in a carpark a few months ago.
The Tories are throwing a whopping £1 billion of taxpayer’s money at the DUP in order to complete the deal – extra cash that has presumably been plucked from the Tories’ magic money tree.
And let’s not beat around the bush with this: in any other walk of life, the Tories’ would have just committed an act of bribery, and the DUP would be complicit in it by voting against their own political beliefs for the sake of the Tories’ dirty money.
Theresa May’s deal with the DUP includes a strict set of anti-austerity measures such as protecting the pension triple lock, £400 million for infrastructure projects and £100 million to “address immediate pressures” on schools and hospitals in Northern Ireland.
In exchange for the colossal £1bn bribe, the DUP – who only have 10 seats in Westminster – are expected to vote with the Tories on a limited number of issues, such as Brexit and on security.
The bribe money is said to run out after about 2 years, indicating that May expects that her ‘government’ to not last longer than that. This is a pathetic, sad, dangerous, and above all else hypocritical move by the Tories.
For all the evils of the DUP (and there are many), they are also staunchly anti-austerity and pro-worker rights – in stark contrast the the pro-cuts and anti-worker policies of the Conservatives.
With news of this deal emerging today, the Conservatives’ rhetoric during the General Election has come back to haunt them.
During May’s failed snap general election, a nurse on BBC’s Question Time programme asked the PM:
My wage slips from 2009 reflect exactly what I’m earning today. How can that be fair, in the light of the job that we do?
To which May cold-heartedly responded:
I’m being honest with you in terms of saying that we will put more money into the NHS, but there isn’t a magic money tree that we can shake that suddenly provides for everything that people want.
Nurses — like all public sector workers except MPs – have suffered years of substantially below inflation pay increases of just 1% – this after years of no pay increases whatsoever.
But somehow the Tories can cobble together the cash to bribe a bunch of anti-abortion religious extremists for their “coalition of crackpots”, but not for our NHS staff who are now reduced to using food banks as a result of Tory austerity.
The billion pound bribe has also been met with severe hostility, criticism, and opposition from across the political spectrum.
Jeremy Corbyn hit Theresa May’s DUP magic money tree, saying:
This Tory-DUP deal has not been done in the national interest, but in the interest of Theresa May and the Conservatives’ own political survival.
Austerity has failed. Cuts to vital public services must be halted right across the UK, not just in Northern Ireland.
The government must immediately answer two questions:
Where is the money for the Tory-DUP deal coming from? And, will all parts of the UK receive the much needed additional funding that Northern Ireland will get as part of the deal?
Saville Roberts, Westminster leader of the Welsh Plaid Cymru said:
Any commitments for Northern Ireland should be matched for Wales. If reports that the DUP has secured a £1bn increase in public spending in Northern Ireland are realised, Wales’ population share would be around £1.7bn – a substantial boost to the Welsh economy that must be delivered.
Even senior Tories expressed concern at the bribe/deal. Tory Lord Patten said that the DUP is a “toxic brand” and that the deal would push the Conservative Party:
back into the situation where there’s a danger of it looking like the ‘Nasty Party'”
Once again, May has proven that she is not only a liar, but also a hypocrite — one who is prepared to put the peace of Northern Ireland at risk just to keep herself in “power”.
And all it took was £1billion of your tax money stuffed into the pockets of people who want abortion banned, LGBT rights stripped, and casually associate themselves with terrorism.
Brilliant work Theresa — the country will thank you at the ballot box soon, I’m sure.
