David McNarry resigns from UUP Assembly Group after Tom Elliott cuts him out of education committee role
The News Letter and UTV’s Ken Reid have been tweeting tonight what looks like being the latest episode in the UUP-DUP united unionist soap opera. David McNarry has resigned from the UUP Assembly group after Tom Elliott withdrew him as vice-chair of education committee, though stopped short of taking away the party whip.
The BBC add:
Mr McNarry said he spoke to the party leader on Friday evening by telephone. And Mr Elliott told him he was being disciplined as a result of an article that appeared in the Belfast Telegraph last Monday.
Although Mr Elliott said he would not be removing the party whip, Mr McNarry in response informed the leader he was resigning with immediate effect from the assembly group.
The article was an interview Mr McNarry gave, in which he revealed that he had been meeting the DUP to discuss closer co-operation and maximising the unionist vote. These talks had previously been secret and the article caused a backlash throughout the assembly group and the party.
Update – Martina Purdy has published some more details about tonight’s events.
Picture of Tom Elliott and David McNarry on a happier occasion – the October opening of the UUP
Thanks Uncle Joe
Probably right – actually if you look at Elliott’s form he has favoured the so-called modernisers from the word go. McCallister as deputy leader then chief whip. How many jobs can one man do ? Basil as chair of DEL committee. Nesbitt on three committees – though this may be explained by the fact that Elliott wants to keep him busy to stop him plotting a leaderrship challenge. The point is that McNarry has no reason not to soak the tent since everyone inside it is of one type.
Alex, indeed.
My perception is that Nesbitt is chomping at the bit to take over as leader. I’d say he would be quite charismatic and would appeal to a lot of people, but he lacks political experience which means that Robinson & co would make mincemeat out of him.
Uncle Joe,
The way I see it is this. Nesbitt set out his stall last September with a call for the UUP to go into opposition. He was criticised nat the time. Then a fringe meeting at the UUP conference debated going into opposition accompanied by a rather dubious poll that said 85% of the party wanted to go into opposition. The stage was set. The policy has been chosen. The problem as it always is with the UUP is personalities. Their ambition is in inverse proportion to their talent. McCrea, McCallister, Nesbitt all want to be in charge. Will McCrea be paid off with a gravy train MEP job which would suit his temperament? Where is Danny Kennedy in all of this? The problem with all of this is that the are all unelectable and no match for the sure footed strategist that Peter Robinson always has been. People do not want cointention. They want peace and some order about the place. When the number of MLA’s is cut to 80 where then the UUP? .
Nesbitt set out his stall last September with a call for the UUP to go into opposition. He was criticised nat the time.
To me, this is just an example of Nesbitt having ideas beyond his station. He’s barely elected as an MLA, hell he’s barely a party member. And yet there he is telling everyone else how it should be done. Clearly the idea here is that because he’s a TV journalist everyone else should just step aside. If I was in the UUP that would annoy the hell out of me.
It also shows how naive he is, that he’d make his big announcement without checking first to see if it might get shot down. Which it was.
I think you’re right that the UUP internally is being pulled in two different directions. People who are savvy know that going down the opposition route means oblivion. I think most of those same people agree that any sort of tieup with the DUP will shorten their own lifespan.
Will McCrea be paid off with a gravy train MEP job which would suit his temperament?
I don’t think most people in politics here are interested in being an MEP. With the DUP they had to first recruit someone to do it, and when they lost him they couldn’t persuade anyone more senior than Diane Dodds (who is a very nice person, I might add). Who ever hears about Jim Nicholson except when there’s an election on ? Or Bairbre de Bruin for that matter.
Comrade Stalin makes a good point. Nesbitt is actually lightweight. He was unconvincing in fronting UTV News….much better as a sports presenter.
But lacking the gravitas as a journalist he brings that lack of gravitas into politics. No doubt he is personable and even a poster boy for unionist matrons but there is no real substance.
All political parties need people of substance…….theres not enough around and all parties need to be picking up substantial figures.
fitz, agreed. Can’t take it away that his presentation is good, though. But yeah, the substance lacks. Reading his contributions in Hansard he seems to fumble a lot.
I know often here we put the boot into Tom Elliot, often viciously. But the last week has shown that it isn’t done half as often as it should be.
Over the weekend UUP MLAs like Basil McCrea and Danny Kennedy gave public support to Tom for imposing discipline within the party.
David McNarry certainly took it as an attempt to discipline him, though he termed it as betrayal.
And Tom? Tom almost seems to be saying he barely did anything, just a slap on the wrist as quoted by the Newsletter.
‘Mr Elliott said that he was surprised by Mr McNarry’s reaction: “I by no means took him out of the group. I was changing his position from being deputy chair of the education committee.
“There are a lot of people in the group who have no position at all.”
Just how feeble a leader is he that he is talking down his own attempts to control the party, that he cannot own his decisions or the consequences they produce?
Basil McCrea’s influence within the party seems to be growing. McNarry quotes McCrea as saying the following at the meeting last week…
‘ Mr McNarry said that at last week’s emergency meeting of the party’s Assembly members he had been told by Mr McCrea to “stop referring to the group as ‘us’ because you are not one of us”.
And
‘On Saturday UUP assemblyman Basil McCrea said that as Mr McNarry had resigned from the UUP Assembly group he should now be considered to have resigned from the party.Mr McCrea told the BBC: “If you leave one, you have, in effect, left both.”
And at Sinn Fein’s Uniting Ireland conference at the weekend, another dig…
‘He said that it was crucial to have trust and added: “When I was on Radio Foyle on Thursday with Gerry Adams, I kept wondering does he mean what he is saying?
“Those honeyed tones that you are all so familiar with … are they a trap for naive and unsuspecting unionists?
“Actually, I could ask a similar question of Peter Robinson, but in his case because I am familiar with the cultural background, I am pretty certain that he is indeed laying a trap for the unwary and the politically naive.”
Is it just me, or is Basil McCrea exploiting this to drive McNarry out of the party? There is a consistent theme of isolating McNarry, even going so far as to force a weak leader to penalise him and the beginnings of a whispering campaign, with an anonymous MLA saying he will hardly be missed.
If what McNarry said was true and he cleared the interview with Elliot and the Press Office before the interview took place, then the weak leader is being forced to penalise McNarry for following his instructions in doing something Basil McCrea didn’t like when he found out about it.
My own personal guess is that David McNarrys’ days in the UUP are numbered. And based on his conduct, so are Elliot’s days running the UUP.
Lets all get our hankies out for poor Mr McNarry Come on David let it all hang out out, sure the dogs in the street knows you cannot wait to tell the whole world what went on in that secret meeting and how wrongly you were treated by this upstart farmer from the backwoods of Fermanagh.
McNarry: I feel abused but I’ll defend myself
http://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/local/mcnarry_i_feel_abused_but_i_ll_defend_myself_1_3467956
I’m personally unclear what McNarry has been disciplined for? Seems from press reports and his letter to members that Tom elliott knew and approved the ‘private but not secret’ talks with the DUP.
Apparently the Conservative Party also knew about the talks which may put Lord Feldman’s letter to the UUP in a a different light?
OneNI – we’re all unclear what David McNarry has been disciplined for … but given that discipline is an internal party matter, we’ve no absolute reason to need to know. It’s only our nosiness – and McNarry’s ability to burn a bridge – that will expose the details.
David McNarry went too far in interview says Tom Elliott.
“Mr Elliott said Mr McNarry spoke to the Belfast Telegraph of a vision which one day saw a DUP first minister and a UUP junior minister. He said he had had to discipline him.”
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-16796034
dwatch,
That suggests the half way house I suggested yesterday, ie Tom did indeed authorize the interview but did not expect McNarry to completely spill his guts.
Nigel Dodds apparently said on Sunday that McNarry would be welcome in the DUP. It seems that his defection is probably now inevitable.
I wonder how McNarry will cope as a DUP backbencher.
Nesbitt might be lightweight but that didn’t stop Elliott being elected leader. Nesbitt is a smoothie – so much smoother than Elliott – remember in the kingdom of the blind the one eyed man is king. McNarry was good on UTV tonight. Elliott came over as an idiot. Does he really think sacking McNarry is just a slap on the wrist ? It was public humiliation and the anti-McNarry comments of McCrea since show clearly who is giving Elliott his orders. McCrea’s another smoothie. What does Elliott think about McCrea’s comment last week that the DPP needs a body to supervise it? Is that UUP policy or will Elliott slap McCrea over the wrist ? Of course McCrea wants rid of McNarry. McCrea’s DFP committee which he chairs for 10K a year is being wound up and merged into the Education Committee. Guess who was vice chair of Education Committee. Why McNarry of course !! Remember McCrea’s proposed junket to San Diego. He must want McNarry’s job otherwise he’ll miss out on the opportunity to have a few junkets.
In reading this guote, by David McNarry’s actions he has already left the UUP to become an Independant.
“Elliott defends McNarry punishment”
An Assembly spokeswoman said: “The Speaker has received a letter from David McNarry, MLA, advising that with effect from 30 January 2012 he wishes to be regarded as an independent member of the Northern Ireland Assembly whilst retaining his designation as a ‘unionist’.”
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ukpress/article/ALeqM5jHbUAkygTBl6LsFG0CEkFXBTegEA?docId=N0224451327944109204A
Just listened to David McNarrry on today at Stormont and the man has a point on how he was treated . Tom Elliott or the people who are advising him showed a real lack of class .
This reply (below) appeared in the comments section of the News Letter. If true, his recent run in with leader and other UUP MLA’s was only a straw that broke the camel’s back.
“David was once suspended by the LOL for speaking to the press. He had aspirations far beyond his ability. His proper place is as an independent and the UUP will be a better party after his defection.”
David McNarry is one of those ploiticians who plays “hard ball” and its not easy to feel sorry for him.
But on yesterday evenings UTV News he appeared genuinely stunned. He ususually does synthetic anger very well……….but this was the real thing. There was even a touch of sadness, he has after all been a member of the UUP “since I was fifteen”.
The feeling of sadness/quiet anger was under-scored by the fact that after his interview, there were two shots of him listening to Ken Reids views on what happened over the past few days.
So in an odd way, McNarry came close to convincing me…….helped by the interview in which Tom Elliott referred to himself in the third person.
I think “alex gray” has made some good points in this thread but is too over-eager to blame McCrea and others.
Usually the reports of discord in UUP are over-stated but it would be hard to imagine a more damaging dispute ……..and has an odd echo of deValera and Michael Collins about it.
helped by the interview in which Tom Elliott referred to himself in the third person.
I winced when I heard that.
To be fair to Mike Nesbitt – and I have personal reason not to be – he is the MLA who seems to be most intent on actually “legislating”, and he learns from mistakes. He would unquestionably be a better Leader than Elliott in terms of skills and vision.
That said, he is unlikely to become Leader for two reasons.
Firstly, as Comrade says, nothing unsettles the existing political class than people who have been successful in another field and who are obviously capable transferring across.
Secondly, and more importantly, his relatively moderate version of Unionism is not the one supported by most of his UUP colleagues. The UUP elected Elliott Leader by a significant margin precisely because, incredible though this seems to the South Belfast-based media, he actually represents the broad views of most of the membership.
Underlying all of this is the re-establishment of the view that the UUP is fundamentally incompetent. With competence increasingly becoming the marker of electoral strength, that will become increasingly decisive.
Mike Nesbitt has certainly had a successful career. Nobody who remembers Nesbitt reading the Ladies Hockey results on a Saturday evening at the BBC could have thought that he would end up as anchor at UTVs flagship news programme.
Taking his portfolio of skills to politics doesnt work. He is lightweight and merely gamekeeper turned poacher. He has heard enough drivel from politicians explaining away their party incompetence……and effectively
every TV appearance with old journo colleagues he is doing this for the UUPand not even making the effort not to smile at the nonsense of it all.
Yes he will never be UUP for two reasons.
One …he is not mainstream enough within the party.
Two…..he has some baggage which doesnt play well.
But the notion that he is resented for being a success just doesnt wash.
FJH
Well, he’s Oxbridge-educated (academically successful), well known in the media (professionally successful), and he stuffed McNarry in May (electorally successful). He’s successful. And politicians who have never been successful at anything other than getting elected fear that (not entirely without justification, by the way – just because someone is successful in one walk of life does not mean they will be in another).
That is not to say the additional reasons you give are not valid. They’re very valid. Indeed, they are the crux of the UUP’s problem. Constantly – at Leadership elections, candidate selections and even during McNarrygate – they look for people who self-identify as “good Ulster Unionists” (McNarry is basing his whole defence on membership of that club).
Yet this is an ever declining number – what they actually need is someone who can make the UUP appeal to people who would not self-identify necessarily as “good Ulster Unionists” – in other words, people who are not mainstream (well, not UUP-mainstream anyway).
Despite this, of course, they consistently pick those they know. Those they know are a declining number. The logic is obvious. Fundamentally, that is the reason for the party’s ongoing decline.
Well of course Nesbitt is Oxbridge educated. He was also Campbell College educated.
‘Nuff said.
Obviously a successful journalist.
And a man rather like myself…..a youthful man in his late 50s (albeit QUB educated which in some books would not make me less academically successful than Mr Nesbitt). And a man who took to politics rather late in life.
Mr Nesbitt joined the UUP and its a career change.
I joined the SDLP and Mrs FitzjamesHorse calls it a mid life crisis.
Obviously in a few years when Dr Al retires, I will go head to head with Conall for the Leadership. While I might rely on my “success” in other fields, the SDLP electorate might well look at my previous record of non committment and disloyalty and rather acrimonious things Ive said about the SDLP in the past (Slugger O’Toole passim).
For this reason I will never lead the SDLP and for much the same reason Mike Nesbitt will never lead the UUP.
“Success” is over-rated.
Obviously a political party wants to put a good raft of candidates before an electorate which has all kinds of skills……..community work, medicine, law, trades unions, Jacobite history, farming……..even there is a case to be made for “business”. But a political party should also bear in mind committment and loyalty.
Its chicken and egg.
Committed people……unionist, nationalist, socialist, conservative, “lets get alongerist” who are successful will always trump successful people who use political parties as a vehicle for their own ambitions.
Mr McNarry will be none to pleased at this recent news.
“Nesbitt to replace McNarry on Stormont committee
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-16808459
FJH
Sorry but that last point is thinly veiled nonsense.
The Labour Party achieved its electoral successes with a gene-pool Tory at the helm (and a gene-pool Liberal in the NIO for three years); the DUP has appointed as Ministers gene-pool Ulster Unionists and has expanded in the process; Irish Labour is essentially an amalgamation of people who started off in other parties.
Much more to the point, the idea that McNarry would make a better leader than Nesbitt is ludicrous – but it is the logic of your position. And, of course, you will have to stand against McDevitt, who by your logic ran away from the SDLP in its time of need. How dare he choose to have a real life in between, eh?!
FJH, have taken your previous advice and avoided commenting on my own party issues, but might just clear up one misconception, the “rural” UUP or those more than half an hour from Belfast are a bit more switched on than they are given credit for, the election results in most areas bear that out. So if we had of run a hyperthetical contest for honoury Olympic Torch Bearer or the like between “liberal blow’in” Nesbitt and “Traditional Loyal Orange” McNarry I think Nesbitt would have won hands down as the more capable and reliable candidate.
Isnt the crux of McNarrygate the fact that Elliott, McNarry and Kennedy were carrying out secret negotiations with the DUP precisely because they knew their party would be against it.
Elliot is unhappy because McNarry let the cat out of the bag before it was a fait au complait?
All the other MLAs are furious because David Campbell knew while they were kept in the dark.
Of course it was Campbell’s machinations that many blame for the collapse of UCUNF
Of course it was Campbell’s machinations that many blame for the collapse of UCUNF
ROTFL, I love it. Please keep the delusions coming.
Don’t let anyone ever tell you that a workable political idea should be durable enough to survive the efforts of one person sabotaging it. And above all, ignore the doomsayers who predicted UCUNF’s failure from the start on the basis that you cannot build a successful political entity by joining together two failed ones.
IJP,
My view is not that McNarry would make a better leader of UUP….merely that Nesbitt will never lead it.
Im not sure what you mean about Conall but in any case I have decided that I will not stand against him in five or ten years years time….I have consulted colleagues who have convinced me that I cannot hope to win.
My point remains that people who are deemed less than loyal to one party are unlikely to be forgiven by that party…..and any other party would be wary of a politician who has been disloyal to another party whatever his skills.
Indeed as Comrade Stalin points out, there was only ever going to be one outcome to the UFCNN experiment.
I readily accept that Drumlins Rock knows more about UUP than I do. A direct contest between McNarry and Nesbitt would always have been unlikely…….but on balance my view would be that Nesbitt will never lead the UUP and would lose a contest to a mainstream candidate such as Danny Kennedy.
Although it has to be said that options are running out.
Nesbitt strikes me as a person who just doesnt take it all seriously.
The appointment of Nesbitt is another calculated insult to McNarry from Elliott and the coterie of advisers around him. They want to rub his nose in it. Elliott referring to himself in the third person shows how delusional and pompous he really is. Wasn’t it Julius Caesar who did this ? Then came the Ides of March. So 3rd person Elliott should beware the Ides of March. At the end of the day when the Assembly is reduced to 80 members the UUP will be down to about half its present strength because so many of them were elected in the last counts. The logic of unionist unity is overwhelming on a numbers basis alone.
Well that was…..ahem…. interesting from McNarry on The Nolan Show this morning.
Its too easy to dismiss David McNarry as a dinosaur.
If he joined the UUP at age 15, then he clearly has given nearly 50 years service to that Party. No doubt he was politically ambitious but thats not a fault.
Rather McNarry joined a Party with Lord Brookeborough at its head and a unionist God in his heaven.
He has probably sat in halls and applauded Robin Bailey and Phelim O’Neill who defected to the Alliance Party. And Desmond Boal who defected to Paisley politics.
And Anne Dickson who defected to UPNI.
And Bill Craig who formed Vanguard
And David Trimble who went home to the Mother Country and became a Conservative.
Not to mention Arlene Foster and Jeffrey Donaldson.
Or Harry Hamilton
Even today another escape to the local Tories.
To his credit McNarry has been consistent and an adherent of mainstream unionism. He has chosen a stance which is at least as honourable as the defectors to right and left of him.
Only he can answer whether it was all worth it.
But at least he deserves a bit of respect.
FJH,
It’s true that “dinosaur” is often thrown around as a cheap epithet. But this is to do dinosaurs a disservice. They were extremely successful and dominated the land for a hundred million years. They had an efficient respiratory system that allowed them to thrive in the low-oxygen environment following the PT catastrophe, and their descendants to take flight. That’s a tremendous achievement.
But they’re still extinct.
On Friday Danny Kennedy pitched for leadership with genocide comments – attractive to Tom Elliott’s former supporters in Fermanagh. On Sat Mike Nesbitt pitches for leadership in Belfast Telegraph piece on not washing dirty party linen in public, Why pitch for leadership if Elliott is not alread doomed ? Party Chairman David Campbells announcement looks like more of an investigation into the events of Mcnarrygate than a disciplinary process – an investigation that might make Elliott’s continuance as leader untenable. By the way, who are the others apart from David McNarry to be investigated by the party as implied in the wording of Campbell’s statement ?
I suppose we will have another 25/30 busloads of Tom’s Fermanagh supporters (organised by chief supporter Ken Maginnis) at the March AGM if there is to be a leadership challenge. Any guesses who Mike Nesbitt will vote for?
‘Hurt and abused ‘ Elliott says unionist unity a ‘pipe dream’
http://www.impartialreporter.com/news/roundup/articles/2012/02/02/395662-hurt-and-abused–elliott-says-unionist-unity-a-pipe-dream/