Paisley’s post-dated cheque
At the Brassneck blog Mick has posted some initial thoughts on the post-dated cheque that is the resignation of Ian Paisley Snr and he, Mick that is, tells me he’ll be on More4News at 8 to discuss it further. [even Hain's getting some mileage out of it. - Ed] Adds Among the collated responses on the BBC – who don’t seem to have seen Reg Empey’s comments yet – the UUP deputy leader Danny Kennedy makes a pertinent point about that post-dated cheque
Baroness Paisley, earlier this week, was keen to stress that she believed that her husband still had work to do. That hasn’t been the view that has prevailed in the assembly party or indeed other assembly colleagues.
And Déjà vu? More The BBC’s Martina Purdy seems to agree.
Between now and May, Mr Paisley will increasingly be seen as a lame duck first [M]inister, yesterday’s man.
A big day for the big man. More on http://www.oconallstreet.com
Party sources are briefing about a new leadership
Was McDonald briefed in advance about the Paisley ‘retirement’?
Conall you said nothing new. Stop looking for cheap views. I had seen your page previously and didn’t like it then and I still don’t like it.
Btw don’t mean to be critical of Mick but you should really try to get some training on public speaking. It wasn’t what one would call a fantastic interview on More4.
heyho, something upset you tonite?
peteb
the link to reg empey’s comments is well worth adding to your thread, might I suggest.
http://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/The-Paisley-era-was-a.3842604.jp
as are those of Gerry Adams and Durkans
http://www.irishexaminer.com/breaking/index.aspx?c=ireland&jp=mhojkfgbidcw
Fair enough Heyho.
Hope you are not cavassing to be the next big time rejectionist now the Dr is gone…
Political breathing space at last. Anyone got good ideas for the future?
“How Ian Paisley mocked Trimble over the “Well Done David” approbation from Adams, now it is he who is their pin up. How have the mighty fallen!”” Allister
Not withstanding my own views on Paisley as a wicked evil demagogue who is well out of it – it now gets a little dangerous. Donaldson, despite his easy tendency to descend to bigotry during campaigning, seems capable.
can any DUPer tell us was it the promotion of IPJ to the policing board wot done it?
How did it happen? Did for example the party MLA’s all sign a letter to the Doc? and what did it threaten?
Did it say “we’re all off to the TUV if you don’t step down”?
Or did they all threaten to resign?
What forced Paisley Snr out?
“it now gets a little dangerous.”
Yes, Dewi, who will Sweeney be taking lobster fishing now?
Pete,
Clearly Sir Reg and press office don’t watch ‘In the thick of it’.
Nevin
As he managed to get the timetable completely wrong very doubtful.
f-d, can you name the likely ‘party sources’?
Nevin
Its likely that there were so many briefing in the last few days that no one stands out. I know locally it was impossible to find a dup Cllr who would give snr their support most were hoping that his stepping down would come quickly and openly suggesting it. Interesting was the split between pragmatists and the more dogmatic element who wanted a shift to more traditional dup values. (sort of like Gregory clones really)
I wonder what would have happened to the share price of Sweeney Expansion Unlimited had it been a publicly traded company?
can’t wait for the stories behind this sudden resignation to become public. i’m inclined to suspect sleaze will be more of a determinant than politics………
We wish our Recruitment Sergeant a long and happy retirement.
Paisley deserves ever piece of shit thrown at him.
Nevin
Nope
Joe, perhaps the Seaport (NI) Limited investors will be having second thoughts about their front man (SS) after all the negative publicity and the possibility of further revelations.
fair_deal, I thought you had some insights into the DUP machine? If so, would you like to share them with us
Nevin
“I thought you had some insights into the DUP machine? If so, would you like to share them with us
”
You asked about McDonald’s sources not about the DUP. I am not the holder of any great secrets.
“I am not the holder of any great secrets.”
I presume the media and others will already be dusting down the skeletons in the Family Robinson cupboard …
This may not be the beginning of the end…
but it may verywell be the end of the beginning.
Now, whether that is a good thing or a bad thing, individual mileage may vary.
Presumably the new leader, whoever he is (yes, it’ll be a he) will need to do a bit of reshuffling. I wonder which wunderkid will get promoted or demoted.
Joe, Jeffrey grovels and Gregory claims it’s a ‘shoo-in’.
It would appear to me that had Ian Og been doing his duty to his father and ‘looking out’ for him at St Andrews (instead of lobbying side-deals for Seymore S.) then his father would not have sleep-walked the rather mindless DUP clones / clowns into the GFA-Mark II.
It will be interesting if the ‘punt’ can rescue this wounded party when he eventually gets the crown of office.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/guest_contributors/article3492208.ece
March 6, 2008
Paisley limps feebly away
One by one the pillars on which “the Doc” built his reputation have collapsed
Dean Godson
Forget the patronising encomiums to the Rev Ian Paisley from such long-time foes as Gerry Adams and the British and Irish governments: the truth is that “the Doc” is shuffling off the political stage as a pathetic shadow of his former self.
One by one, the pillars upon which the Rev Doctor’s eminence depended have collapsed. First, he had to relinquish his Moderatorship of the Free Presbyterians, the denomination that he founded in 1951: the faithful turned out to be deeply unhappy with his decision to enter office with Sinn Fein. When it came to making a choice between the baubles of this world and the spiritual leadership of his flock, Mr Paisley opted for the former.
This presaged deeper problems among the voters of middle Ulster. The DUP’s dramatic underperformance in an important council by-election in Dromore – when an independent Unionist candidate siphoned off a large number of votes – signalled the feelings of betrayal in the Loyalist heartland. Never before had Mr Paisley so misjudged their mood.
Finally, “the Doc” had to give up the services of Ian Jr, his closest collaborator – forced to resign from the devolved executive following a rumpus over alleged connections to a property developer. The result was that Mr Paisley lost control of the DUP, the party he set up in 1971.
So a new dynasty seems set to supplant the Paisleys – the political family Robinson, led by the DUP’s long-time deputy leader, Peter Robinson. Senior British officials have long fancied him to be a pragmatist with whom they can do business. But does the sour-faced uncharismatic technocrat have the sectarian capital in the bank to complete the unfinished business of Paisley’s First Ministership – namely the devolution of policing and justice powers, perhaps even under a Sinn Fein Minister of Home Affairs?
Mr Robinson may take the hint from the Unionist grass roots. He could recalibrate the aesthetics of power-sharing with Sinn Fein – eschewing the sickly-sweet “Chuckle Brothers” routine between Martin McGuinness and Mr Paisley (“like the smell of shit mixed with cheap air freshener”, in the words of one local wag) for a more distant public relationship with the nationalists.
But for now, some of the younger DUP modernisers reckon that they have salvaged the long-term viability of the devolved Executive. Rather like those Labour stalwarts who believed that all would be well for the people’s party once Gordon Brown supplanted Tony Blair, so the newer cadres in the DUP may calculate that an enfeebled Mr Paisley was all that stood between them and “50 years of cross-community misrule”. They may turn out to be just as disappointed.
Dean Godson is research director of Policy Exchange