Alex Kane, columnist in the Newsletter has written a second piece in what is turning into a series about the current crisis in his own Ulster Unionist party.
A Thorn in Trimble’s side
By Alex Kane
At the Odyessy Arena on Thursday night, Dame Shirley Bassey kept almost 5000 people waiting for half an hour, while she did whatever it is superstars do backstage on these occasions. Her audience grew restless. There were slow handclaps, feet-stamping and a chorus of cat-calls. But, when she finally appeared, she wowed them, won them over and triumphed in spectacular fashion.
Jeffrey Donaldson is a different kettle of fish. He has kept his audience waiting for almost five years, inviting them to a series of venues around Belfast, and then failing to do the business. Half of the audience now hates him and a substantial proportion of the others—many of whom would be sympathetic to his viewpoint—believe that he lacks the mind of a leader, or the mettle required to seize power. Jeffrey has become a single-song prima donna, and, irrespective of what happened at last night�s meeting of the party executive, or may happen on June 16th, one thing is now certain: Jeffrey Donaldson will never be leader of the Ulster Unionist Party.
Now, this is not the sort of news he wants to wake up to on a Saturday morning, but it may explain why he has been back-peddling like mad in the last few days about his future within the party. It was, in fact, in response to last week�s column that Mr. Donaldson first hinted that he would have to �consider� his position within the party. Note the use of the word �consider.� There is very little clarity or certainty in that word. Indeed, it�s the sort of word you use when you want to keep all of your options open. It�s the exact word to use when you suspect that things won�t go the way you hope, but which will, nonetheless, guarantee you acres of speculative coverage in the local media.
Watching him being interrogated by Noel Thompson on �Hearts and Minds,� on what he meant by �consider,� was a bit like watching a duck being asked to explain one of Euclid�s more obscure mathematical propositions. He waddled and flapped around the question, waving pieces of paper under Noel�s nose and quoting, out of context too, parts of the Anglo-Irish Agreement and the Joint Declaration.
The most interesting part of the interview, though, was his reply to Noel�s question about whether he would accept Peter Robinson�s invitation to join the DUP. He didn�t address the question at all. He could have rejected the invitation out of hand. He could have put the boot into a party which has always attacked his own party—including him, on many occasions. He could have dismissed the whole thing as self-serving mischief-making from the DUP�s deputy leader. He did none of these things, opting, instead, for his need to �keep focused� on June 16th. Perhaps he needs more time to �consider� the invitation!
If Jeffrey takes the view that acceptance of the Joint Declaration, and, in particular, the paragraphs dealing with the Independent Monitoring Body and Sanctions, represents the abandoning of the supreme bottom line (in terms of Dublin having a role in the affairs of the Assembly), then surely it would be hypocritical of him to remain within a party that endorsed a contrary view? There would be no need for him to �consider� his position, for his UUC colleagues would have made the decision for him.
At no time, since he lost his first UUC battle in April 1998, has Mr. Donaldson been prepared to give the majority of his UUC colleagues, let alone the leadership of the party, the benefit of the doubt. He has never given Mr. Trimble either the breathing space, or the silence he needed to negotiate from a position of strength. As soon as each UUC or party executive meeting was over, the plans for the next one were prepared. The briefing against the leadership, and the undermining of UUC agreed policy, started almost immediately.
As early as October 1998, thirteen months before the first Executive Committee was formed, Mr. Donaldson had become a key player in Union First. This was, in effect and in essence, a party within the party; its� only purpose being to orchestrate opposition to Mr. Trimble and overturn UUC decisions. He and his supporters have never looked for compromise, for how can there be compromise between such diametrically opposed positions? All they want is another shackle to place around Mr. Trimble�s hands and feet.
I am wary of describing the next meeting of the UUC as a defining moment for unionism, for unionism has had more defining moments than Michael Jackson�s nose. What is clear, though, is that the Ulster Unionist Party cannot offer an honest choice to the electorate, if a sizeable proportion of its UUC delegates remain in open revolt. It is hard to avoid the conclusion that a parting of the ways is not only inevitable, but also the most sensible option available.
What Mr. Trimble needs to calculate is, not the loss of existing support if Jeffrey Donaldson leaves the party, but rather, the loss of existing and potential support if Jeffrey chooses to stay.
First published in the Newsletter – 7th June 2003
Mick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is a regular guest and speaking events across Ireland, the UK and Europe. Twitter: @MickFealty
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