Sinn Féin's cunning budget plan

I notice that one of Sinn Féin's suggestions to plug the budget shortfall of £1.9bn in Northern Ireland is a £2,000 monthly levy on mobile phone masts.  Anyone notice any faulty logic at work?

Some of Northern Ireland's rural areas already suffer from some of the patchiest mobile phone coverage anywhere in the UK.  It's a nuisance for residents, visitors and it sure as heck discourages business.  Will the communications giants be rushing to plug these gaps at £24,000 per year per mast?

Ironically some the areas worst affected are Sinn Féin strongholds.

Poorly thought out, 6th form financials from republicans?  Who would've thunk it!

Comments

Timothy Belmont said…
I trust they'll also compel the operators to erect dual-language signage on their masts. Coming home via Dublin airport and Eire was a real culture shock for me after 30 years, all dual language signs, flight captain welcoming us in Gaelic and English etc. Just demonstrates the extent to how alienated Timothy Belmont really is and how precious the Shinners covet their language.

BTW, re Bill Wolsey and his Bangor - sorry, Beannchor - group: what are the man's politics?
14 October 2010 at 14:37
Seymour Major said…
It is said that the Shinners were always mathematically uninitiated with money because when they used to go to a bank, they never made deposits - only withdrawals!
14 October 2010 at 16:33
Phil Larkin said…
This is PRECISELY the area, cold hard economic policy, where Sinn Fein really need to be exposed to as unremittingly a ray of light as possible, in the public arena. Why isn't this being done more by unionist parties AND by the SDLP?

A number of elections ago, I remember SDLP members prancing around Belfast with placards stating "Don't vote for the DUP." As if this was going to change the mind of any unionist voter! The DUP should have sent them a thank-you card after the election stating "Cheers for the free publicity Lads!" If the SDLP could manoeuvre SF on to the area of economic policy, and show nationalist voters just how threadbare their ideas are in this regard, then, just maybe, the SDLP could begin to claw back some of their lost ground.
14 October 2010 at 20:38
Gary said…
Would that not have the side effect of concentrating minds on their (SF) weaknesses though? I mean with all that money the shinners have they could knock heads together and get their economic policies right? Sorry if I sound stupid but, would it not be like saying, "hey, this is your weakness, this is what you need to work on and then you can consolidate your hold on middle class Nationalism?"
15 October 2010 at 01:07
Phil Larkin said…
Which would have the effect of radically changing the Party's image, and, indeed, ideology.
15 October 2010 at 21:20
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