DUP and the Routemaster: made in N Ireland, destined for London
Centre stage at the DUP manifesto launch today was a London Routemaster bus. Made in Antrim, destined for London, and in this case Parliament Square (it was a no.24). Which is exactly where this party predicts the spoils of electoral battle await them, in the event of a hung parliament.
They posed for photos at the back of the bus and, of course, pointedly, in the driver’s seat. A “once in a lifetime opportunity”, they said, presenting a manifesto described as a “template for negotiations”.
So what price DUP support? I asked the party leader Peter Robinson on board the no.24 (a senior DUP colleague recently spoke about “hundreds of millions” in extra funding in return for the party propping up any minority government).
“It would be very foolish,” replied Robinson, “if I started negotiations at this stage in a London bus”. It would certainly be novel.