Monday, February 18, 2008
Paisley Jnr to step down
The BBC’s Gareth Gordon has reported on Talkback that Northern Ireland junior minister, the DUP’s Ian Paisley Jnr, is expected to make a statement shortly.. and the expectation is that he will resign from his position as a junior minister. I’ll update when we get that statement. Update Talkback confirms Ian Paisley Jnr has resigned as Junior Minister. But will he continue to claim the rent mortgage for his constituency office? And will Ian Paisley Snr continue to do likewise? More In this BBC report. You can listen to the statement here [RealPlayer file]
Mr Paisley tendered his resignation to his father, Ian Paisley Snr, the first minister a short time ago. “I can’t express strongly enough that I am not going because of some hidden or some revealed wrongdoing,” he said. Mr Paisley, who will stay in the post until a replacement is found, said he would contiue in his role as an assembly member for North Antrim.
Pete Baker @ 01:20 PM
must be the first time someone in politics has resigned to spend less time with his family.....
Posted by darth rumsfeld on Feb 18, 2008 @ 01:03 PM
Couldn’t resist repeating this again!
So who is next in the DUP for the chop?Posted by on Feb 18, 2008 @ 03:28 PMSo much for no smoking gun, eh Junior?
Surely this is goodbye for Westminster for the boy.
Posted by on Feb 18, 2008 @ 03:39 PMWas he culled because of blue tongue or forked tongue
Moo U P
Posted by on Feb 18, 2008 @ 03:48 PMArlene Foster next for the chop! she misused her ministerial powers and was if they hadnt have been found out she probably would have went ahead with Young Ian jnr’s recommendation!
Posted by on Feb 18, 2008 @ 03:50 PM...Meanwhile in Dundela Avenue, a dark brooding figure sits in the dark methodically stroking his white cat. Before him sits a nervous young man, perspiring profusely.
“So, Hamilton, you want to be Junior’s successor? You know the deal. Report everything back to me, and if you see the old man about to put his foot in it- do… absolutely nothing. And get as many joint photographs as possible with McGuinness. Close the door behind you”
The youth exits and a thin smile crosses the lips of the man. Another step in the great plan has been taken.....
Posted by on Feb 18, 2008 @ 03:58 PMTalkback was today totally anodyne about the heir apparents resignation; it is obvious that the media do not really want to take Slugger seriously. The feeds they get are well worth following up.Ian junior could be going to Trump the generous Mr Todd, who they say installed the kitchen and bathroom at Laverys Bridge road. Grant you it might be another scurilous rumour.Some say there is paperwork somewhere.Reports also show that portacabins might also be on the move. Also the farce of paying Some Fiddling M.P.s to boycott their jobs in Westminster and enjoy double mandates needs further investigation.Grant you they might be feeling guilty about Airey Neave and Ian Gow. Airey Neave was a real brave warrior he did a home run from Colditz. what brave deeds have all the Volunteers done?. Come on Gerry and Martin; are you not a writer Gerry you could ghost for Martin as well.
It looks as if all youse leaders need to give a lead in this transparency campaign to detail to us the electorate exactly how all your elected members spend all our money; Including the Quangos and all the other beneficiaries of patronage we have a right tknow it is our money. Reg has started but he must not forget his mate Portacabin Billy and also get this libel litigation sorted;out so the big mouthed Hennessy Barrel pays and not the members of the party. Reg has gotten himself a new BRUSH which needs a new shaft and then he can start the big Spring clean up. There is a veritable mountain of very debatable rotten vegetables to clear out including siblings, fathers, sons, wives, daughters and we have’nt started on the in laws not to mention the common laws.
The bad news is all those naive twits in Westminster,that is the ones that go and take the oath, have so abused the tax payers trust and generosity that very few people trust them with their allowances or monies that are destined for their party, have now got us wanting to investigate the whole body politics behaviour and other arcane and dubious practices.Posted by on Feb 18, 2008 @ 04:07 PMdarth, that was beautiful…
Posted by on Feb 18, 2008 @ 04:12 PMIPj outed as republican spy! That would be asking too much. :-)
Posted by on Feb 18, 2008 @ 04:22 PMAny news on Junior’s replacement in OFMDFM? Me thinks a youngster may be in line (Simon Hamilton??)
Posted by on Feb 18, 2008 @ 05:13 PM“must be the first time someone in politics has resigned to spend less time with his family..... “
Posted by darth rumsfeld on Feb 18, 2008 @ 01:03 PM
Move over, Danny Kennedy, there’s a new kid in town!
Posted by on Feb 18, 2008 @ 05:14 PMCongratulations to Keith Harbinson on removing Ian Jur.
Posted by on Feb 18, 2008 @ 05:23 PMSure Darth could have had Reg’s job never mind Dannys if he had been brave enough.
Posted by on Feb 18, 2008 @ 05:26 PMR.I.P
sorry wrong thread.
Posted by on Feb 18, 2008 @ 05:38 PMEileen just been seen coming out of Elliotts (Hire Service) Ltd Belfast, with boxes thought to contain sack cloth and ashes.
Considering the frequency with which they may be required over the next while, and coming from Ballymena, you would have thought an outright purchase from M&S;would have been better value for money. And, she could always have loaned them to, close family friend, Martin, from time to time.
Posted by on Feb 18, 2008 @ 05:41 PMErratum: for brave, as in, “Sure Darth could have had Reg’s job never mind Dannys if he had been brave enough”, as employed by a previous poster, please see wrong.
If Darth had been wrong enough to consistently moo and gurn alongside all the other Turtle applauding fools at Unionist Councils past, then shure, he’d have a fine ole carrer in today’s modern, getbehind, I mean, getahead, er, turtly busted UUP. I hardly think he needs to be abused for declining to be [trys to think of name of comically obscure UUP MLA, can’t even do that, gives up & goes back to trading screen].
Posted by on Feb 18, 2008 @ 05:46 PMAhah, for ‘carrer’, please read, ‘career’; for ‘carer’, please read the ad the Cosa Paisley are soon to place in the Tele.
Posted by on Feb 18, 2008 @ 05:51 PMFair play to Nevin, I remember him banging on about this waay back in the day on the Talk Back message board.
Posted by on Feb 18, 2008 @ 05:56 PMGood line from Darth regarding IPJ spending more time with his family. He needs to be careful about copyright law!!!! Jeremy Paxman used that same line three weeks ago on Newsnight in referring to Conway the MP who arranged wages for all his family. I will concede it was an appropriate line to use in this case but credit to Jeremy as the original author is surely due? So Darth own up you pinched the line! We still think it was a brill one to use.
Posted by on Feb 18, 2008 @ 05:58 PMTo be fair to IPJ, it is pretty unusual for people to resign in NI politics over matters like this. Partly I think because we haven’t had local accountability. Ministers in the NIO who made errors, Hain and others, never resigned over anything. (Mandelson’s resignation was not related to the job he was doing in the NIO).
I think it does illustrate the democratic nature of political system, when a party of government feels it will lose votes unless the minister resigns. And it shows the local media developing teeth, the News Letter was full of IPJ stories this last week. So, in one sense, as Michael Shilliday says, it is progress.
I was worried that our local system would not be democratic enough that ministers would have to resign. But this episode in a strange way gives me hope.
Posted by on Feb 18, 2008 @ 06:07 PMThere’ll be many penitent prayers said in the Paisley households tonight!
Posted by on Feb 18, 2008 @ 06:07 PMThere’ll be many penitent prayers said in the many Paisley households tonight! lol
Posted by on Feb 18, 2008 @ 06:11 PMI can’t believe that he has resigned over this latest nonsense. Surely 80% + of them in Stormont are at the same racket?
Nor is it credible to say that this was an attempt to stop the momentum against his Da - both Paisleys are too smart to buy into that for a second.
No, I suspect the only credible reason for IPJ’s sudden and out-of-character resignation could have been the fear of how far these lazy bloody journalists were going to go.
Who will the Tele Special INvestigations Unit turn their attention to now?
Posted by on Feb 18, 2008 @ 06:27 PMI trust the Romanists amongst us with light a candle at mass in memory of Junior’s ministerial career. As for myself, I plan to do my mourning in a pleasant spa.
Posted by on Feb 18, 2008 @ 06:27 PMGrassy Noel, do you mind the time the BBC Talkback team removed the fictional yarns about Patsy McCash, the Port Moon Trust, Ben Gore, Croyer Hill, Burning Passions Bookshop and Massage Parlour, Cashlaun Castle, the Pleasures of Plaiskin Wine Bar and Deli, a Clip Behind The Ear Barber’s Shop, the Moyle Maidens (dancing at the Sheddings), Tonduff Times, Ballintoy Bugle et al? They ran for a few weeks and then, puff, they were gone. I wonder who complained. I hope I’m not responsible for putting dangerous ideas into Junior’s head!!
Posted by on Feb 18, 2008 @ 06:31 PMTurgon
I would’nt overplay the TUV in all of this and I do not believe it’s a panic, I think that is just a line you and the rest of the TUV are looking to spin. I’ve been calling for him to go for weeks now an absolute embarassment and liabilityPosted by on Feb 18, 2008 @ 07:01 PM
