Brian Feeney sometimes gives the impression of casting around to find something provocative/controversial to say. However this week he’s possibly hit a particularly important nail on the head:
Monday’s UUC meeting was not ‘the defining moment’ for unionism billed by Jeffrey Donaldson any more than the previous 10 meetings he engineered. The defining moment for unionism was 30 years ago in 1973 when Harold Wilson’s government made it clear to Brian Faulkner, the hard-liner of those days that he would have to share power with nationalists, that unionists could no longer run the north on their own.
However, back in provocative mode, he thinks Donaldson has won the day:
On one matter at least Jeffrey Donaldson is absolutely correct: Trimble doesn’t represent most unionists. On each occasion David Trimble manages only 54% or 55% support from his own grass roots he proves that he leads only a minority of unionists. In any newly elected forum the DUP and his own dissident assembly members will outvote any attempt he makes to implement the will of the Irish and British governments.
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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