A Battle A Day? - Slugger O'Toole
sluggerotoole.com
The DUP may have deliberately shaped its ministerial picks under D'Hondt two years ago to manufacture daily conflict and keep its base energised.
Game TheoryStrategic VotingPrincipal-Agent ProblemRational Choice Theory
Theory Briefing
- The theory holds that the DUP's D'Hondt selections after the institutions were restored were strategic, not accidental, designed to maximise friction.
- Daily battles with other parties could serve as a rallying signal to unionist voters who might otherwise drift away.
- D'Hondt's mechanical seat-allocation rules mean a party can game portfolio choices to land in departments primed for culture-war clashes.
- Two years of sustained institutional conflict is the evidence the author points to — pattern or coincidence is the open question.