Let battle commence
The debate over whether or not Tom Elliott will become the next leader of the Ulster Unionist Party is an interesting one.
He certainly has a lot of support in Fermanagh and is a hard worker, like the rest of our elected representatives here.
Mr Elliott’s own colleagues believe their man will “walk it”.
Even veteran politician Ken Maginnis has lent his support to his leadership bid.
In an interview with Fermanagh’s Impartial Reporter, Lord Maginnis described Mr Elliott as “head and shoulders” above everybody else in the Ulster Unionist Party.
He said: “I would look at the potential for leaders in our party. Tom is at the right age, he has the energy to guard Northern Ireland’s interests. He spent his life building up his own business and now with those years of experience he is prepared to take a huge risk on the people of Northern Ireland and the unionist community.”
While Mike Nesbitt commented: “It’s not like when Reg said he’d stand down, Tom turned round and said ‘Ah great, this is my turn’. I wouldn’t be particularly enthusiastic if he had done but there’s no me, me, me about him. Tom happens to the best man for the job rather than somebody who has been waiting for his turn to come around.”
Should he be successful, Tom Elliott says he wants to be the leader of a “leadership team” and cites discipline as an important issue that needs addressed in the UUP.
But as the BBC’s Martina Purdy pointed out last week, Mr Elliott’s comments in The Impartial Reporter frustrated his party colleague Basil McCrea, who took a swipe at him via his Facebook page.
Mr McCrea is of course, expected to enter the UUP leadership race himself very soon.
It’s understood all 2,150 members of the UUP have the right to vote for the new leader. With many of those members based in Fermanagh, we could see a large amount of that battle taking place in the county.
And for someone who hasn’t declared yet, Mr McCrea has certainly been spending a lot of time in Fermanagh lately — but that’s just a coincidence. Right?
Whatever happens next, the fight for the top job will be a fasinating one.
I hope the “fight” will be fair one and stick to the issues, rebuilding the party from the grassroots and focusing on what the voters want. I hope Basil has a good time in Fermanagh and South Tyrone, but with Tom’s record locally I would think he is highly unlikely to gain much support.
Can I just point out to the people of Fermanagh that theirs is – by a large margin – the smallest county in Northern Ireland.
that is true slug, therefore it is joined with South Tyrone, together they are roughly the same size as the other 17 constituencies, but I believe F&ST has by far the highest proportion of UUP members, hence its impotance.
Elliott will probably win because there is no Unionist Party to speak of left in most of the other areas.
But if he does, frankly it’s the end of the Party. He’s a Fermanagh man through and through, down to earth, honest and decent but totally utterly lacking in the wider political skills and vision critical to the role of Party Leader.
I don’t believe he has the ability to revive the Party which will degenerate to a rump representing a few farmers west of the Bann. McCrea is a different character with all the same positive attributes but a bit more about him.
so Fermanagh men “lack political skills and vision” thats hardly fair Cynic, your sounding a bit like Nolan.
Know nothing about Elliott except what I read here where some quotes recommending him reveal much about UU values eg “he’s about the right age” plus quotes from Mike Nesbitt.
BTW, didnt Nesbitt once talk of standing as Leader himself (but is he ‘the right age’?).
Alex Kane has already expressed his views, although he is not a member anymore.
“I have known Basil for about five years – since he cold-called me shortly before he threw his hat into the Lagan Valley ring for the 2005 general election – and in all that time I have never managed to work out what he believes in or stands for. Yes, he is articulate, but when you strip away the platitude and the charm, there really isn’t much in the way of substance or vision. He clearly wants to be leader: my concern is that he wants it simply as an addition to his CV.
I know what Tom believes in (and he has a far sharper political brain than many in the media give him credit for), even though I don’t always agree with him. I have no idea when it comes to Basil, although I am willing to accept that he could surprise me and rise to the challenge if he did win. But if the UUP is to survive as a mainstream player – and that is something which cannot be taken for granted anymore – then it requires a leader who can deliver leadership, discipline, direction, consistency and relevance.”
the full article in the newsletter is here http://www.newsletter.co.uk/columnists/Last-chance-saloon-for-troubled.6387195.jp
It is crucial that whoever stands clarifies their views on the key matter of the party’s relationship with the OO and the Tories – toerhwise they will keep making the sam,e mistakes which serviced them so badly in theb last election. There are also financial considerations – the UU is not broke because of the money from the Conservatives. Will this stream dried up?
BTW, has AK even the perspective of a critical friend now that he has given up on them?
They say that half of Fermanagh is protestant and the other half is water.
There are issues which Tom Elliot needs to be clear about.
Does he intend to keep clear blue water between UUP and DUP or is he going to be a junior partner in a unionist alliance? Where does he stand on the future relationship with the Conservatives? Some unionist voters are suspicious of the ‘orange card’ theory where the top echelons of the UUP are closely involved with the OO. Does any leader of UUP have to be an orangeman or is it co-incidence? That said I think Elliot is more astute than his cosy west ulster brogue might suggest. He is also a hard worker and seen as someone with integrity. These qualities will play well against a smoother operator like Basil McCrea. Should be interesting.
Tom’s a nice guy but not leader material. The UUP is doomed if he takes the leadership – it’ll be reduced to a rural, right-wing, west-of-the-Bann rump.
Alliance must be licking their lips at the prospect of an Elliott leadership. They’ll vacuum up the moderate, progressive pro-Union vote in the Assembly election, especially east of the Bann – and that will be the end of the UUP, kaput.
An Elliott leadership means suicide for the UUP.
The UUP has committed more political suicides more times than any other party in NI . It’s their sole remaining talent . But somehow they keep arising from the dead . Was it not Anne Widdecombe who commented on Michael Howard that there there was something of the ‘night ‘about him ?
Mr Elliot is on the record a la Horseman about his concern for the widening demographic gap in the west of the province between the nationalist majority and the unionist minority . he has also expressed his concern about the ‘permanent ‘ emigration of protestant ‘university ‘ students . He has not expressed a similar concern about catholic ‘university ‘ students so all in all he sounds like a chip of the old block -Harry West’s that is , and should make a fine traditional Unionist leader in whom that half of Northern Ireland’s population who are non unionist will have every confidence in
And now children once upon a time in the County Fermanagh lived a grand old Lord who was called Brookeborough and he would’nt have a catholic about the place because they would cause him to breathe in Catholic air instead of the more healthy protestant atmosphere for which Fermanagh was at one time famous
Indeed . Those dreary steeples are redrearying as in days of yore . They know not else ;(