Hermon right to consider Tory deal carefully.

Lady Sylvia Hermon met David Cameron yesterday to discuss the Ulster Unionist / Conservative electoral arrangement, but has yet to come to a ‘final judgment’ as to its merits. It transpires that she is engaged in a series of meetings with senior Tories which will presumably culminate in the UUP MP making clear her attitude to the new Conservative and Unionist force.

Lady Hermon is only now resuming her involvement in politics following the death of her husband, Jack. She is entitled to listen to what Conservatives have to say before coming to a conclusion and it is encouraging that she is obviously giving the deal careful consideration rather than subjecting it to a knee-jerk reaction.

Whilst a small number of dyed-in-the-wool, statist socialists may retain a tribal distrust of the Conservatives, moderate, centrist politicians should not be dismissive of Cameron’s message. If it is the communitarian, society led vision of conservatism which the party continues to emphasise then it is offering an attractive and meritorious alternative to Labour.

Genuine incompatibility of principle would be a legitimate reason to oppose the Conservative / UUP compact, residual loyalty to a discredited government would not.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Sylvia Hermon doesn't know what she wants, other than the fact she seems to have little time for Sir Reg.

If she opposes the new pact on those grounds then she really hasn't got the interests of unionism at heart, only her own petty distractions.
5 February 2009 at 12:16
Anonymous said…
I think Sylvia will be a weather vane for the party membership on this issue. A lot of people will look to her for direction on this issue, as to be brutally honest, they do not trust what they are being told.
5 February 2009 at 23:33
Anonymous said…
I'd be surprised if she doesn't ultimately back it.
6 February 2009 at 10:07
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