9 Mar 2010

Northern Ireland: where does Cameron go now?

Even by pre-election standards, the abuse Labour is throwing at David Cameron over what happened at Stormont today is pretty hot stuff.

Mr Cameron’s Ulster cousins in the UUP (now joined in an electoral pact for Westminster elections) abstained in the critical vote this afternoon on whether to devolve justice and policing to Northern Ireland – the long-awaited last chapter in the implementation of the Good Friday Agreement.

That didn’t stop it going ahead but Labour is accusing David Cameron of “egging the driver on in the train crash” at Stormont today, of risking being party to the collapse of the peace process.

It’s true that Mr Cameron has been embarrassed by his electoral partners’ conduct and he admitted in an interview today that he’d tried to persuade the DUP leader Sir Reg Empey to support the devolution plan.

Labour believes this could all play into the public doubt about what “change” David Cameron represents which they think has helped them close the gap in the polls.

A Tory frontbencher rolled his eyes at the UUP “embarrassing” David Cameron so early on in their partnership.

There was a drop-in on Northern Ireland planned in David Cameron’s election campaign grid at one point, I am told. I don’t know if it is still there.

It could be a bit tricky answering the seminal question of the moment when you are at odds with the party you are supporting. Tories I spoke to were very suspicious about how come President Bush had been stirred from his retirement to intervene, contacting David Cameron to get his UUP buddies on board.

Labour sources say their fingerprints are not on this but the Tories will take a little convincing I think.

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