WHEN a colleague asked me the other week why Martin McGuinness would have to be nominated alongside Peter Robinson when the new DUP leader becomes First Minister, I replied that as the FM and Deputy positions were joint positions (in that one can’t exist without the other), for the Sinn Fein politician, election as DFM would be a mere formality. Now someone in Sinn Fein is suggesting it may not. Personally, I think this is another hollow threat, an attempt by a seriously weakened SF to exert some authority in an Executive where it appears to be unable to deliver on its agenda. And even if SF decide to use this for political leverage, I can still see a canny Robinson using the opportunity to his own advantage!
We are reader supported. Donate to keep Slugger lit!
For over 20 years, Slugger has been an independent place for debate and new ideas. We have published over 40,000 posts and over one and a half million comments on the site. Each month we have over 70,000 readers. All this we have accomplished with only volunteers we have never had any paid staff.
Slugger does not receive any funding, and we respect our readers, so we will never run intrusive ads or sponsored posts. Instead, we are reader-supported. Help us keep Slugger independent by becoming a friend of Slugger. While we run a tight ship and no one gets paid to write, we need money to help us cover our costs.
If you like what we do, we are asking you to consider giving a monthly donation of any amount, or you can give a one-off donation. Any amount is appreciated.
