So, a few observations on Ed Poots’ first major exposure to the press:
- The cat and mouse game of picking favourites in the media to interview the DUP leader (designate) appears to be over. This Newsline interview was one of several on RTE and Sky amongst others that the new leader of the DUP. I would also surmise that briefing lines have been opened to journalists who previously had to guess what the party was thinking
- Poots has always had a safe pair of hands when it comes to the media. He handled questions about his own personal religious convictions deftly, although he rather ducked question of using personal convictions as a measure for setting public policy. He’s on Nolan tonight (who’s December 2016 TV interview with Mrs Foster brought her honeymoon to a sudden end).
- In the near term, the protocol is the thing. His opponents may try to make hay on the fact that his party was integral to the negotiation, but the real world effects of EU regulations on the North Channel are cutting deeply into High Street shops (which still fall outside the UK government’s proposed four part plan which is focused primarily on food and a big retail) and are not popular.
- Poots is a social conservative but for now at least is projecting himself as a pragmatist. His role as party leader is in re-bridging the gap between the party and its support base, allowing him in the process to evade the institutional capture that haunted his two predecessors. Oddly as a known introvert this means focusing on communications, externally and internally.
As a final observation, the choice of Poots as DUP leader may lead to an end to the pretension that under STV PR, there can only ever be one unionist party. So long as he doesn’t get carried away, this could open up a gap in the market for the UUP.
It could make space for a firm, unionist but non sectarian hand on the issues of law and order which even 23 years after the Belfast Agreement still have the capacity to knock us off centre. Beattie has made a good start on the Ballymurphy inquests.
Un-muddying the water by dropping the old big house unionist fantasy that one party can represent everyone in Northern Ireland and simply getting out of each other’s road might suit both unionist parties in the near future…
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