Is DUP grass roots in line with leadership?

In an early response to Peter Robinson’s op-ed last night, the SDLP’s Sean Farren voices a scepticism over the DUP’s claims to be able to be pragmatic, given some of the visceral feeling amongst their grass roots support at local council level.

Where is the evidence on the ground that the DUP is ready to make a bold leap forward and embrace any working relationship with nationalists?

Peter Robinson huffs and puffs about his new found willingness to be pragmatic and to suggest a cross-community partnership. But until his party in councils like that in Ballymena begin to demonstrate that it has even the most basic understanding of what partnership means, many, not just in the nationalist community, will be sceptical.

DUP councillors remain the backwoodspeople of community relations. In Ballymena they have insulted ethnic minorities, have opposed support for the GAA and have rejected a community relations policy drawn up by a previous council.

Robinson and some of his colleagues may know that they have to abandon the DUP�s �no to everything� stance if they are to make political gains. They probably also know that they must accept the fundamental principles upon which the Good Friday Agreement is based.

So change within the DUP is to be welcomed if the change is genuine and is leading to an acceptance of partnership within the North and between North and South.

But such change needs to be impressed upon the party�s grassroots if it is to have any real effect. Ballymena is as good a place to start as any other.

Mick Fealty

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