Jeffrey Donaldson

DUP Conference – smaller event enthusiastically embraces new leader #dup22

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on October 8, 2022, 3:02 pm | Readers 5547

“We have cause for optimism” said Stephen Dunne, North Down MLA in his mid-morning speech. He was referring to the party’s “strength and the determination to defend Northern Ireland’s place in the Union”. But walking into the Crowne Plaza Hotel at Shaws Bridge, I wondered if “optimism” was on the minds of DUP delegates returning to the scene of leadership challenges and fractious votes over the last 18 months. Today was their first conference since the pandemic, and the first …

On one thing MPs are agreed: the EU need to show greater flexibility. So is the Protocol Bill only “displacement activity?”

Brian Walker on June 28, 2022, 4:08 pm | Readers 7825

The mouse didn’t roar as the House of Commons sent the Protocol Bill on its way yesterday. “Only if enacted” said an uncharacteristically strident Jeffrey Donaldson, would the DUP go back to Stormont, advancing the curious argument that the Protocol Bill would “give back to the elected representatives in Northern Ireland the power to take the decisions that they have not been able to take.”(It would give them to Westminster not Stormont). Most MPs including the Conservatives who spoke, were …

Are the DUP the new abstentionists of Northern Irish politics?

Brian Pope on May 13, 2022, 7:01 am | Readers 4600

Sir Jeffrey Donaldson’s announcement this week that the DUP will not go back into government in Northern Ireland until the NI Protocol is removed will not come as a shock, but it will come as a hammer blow to many ordinary people who rely on the support from Stormont. Throughout the Assembly elections Sir Jeffrey, and his colleagues in the DUP, made it crystal-clear that unless the British Government took decisive action on the protocol there would be dire consequences …

Emma Little-Pengelly to take Jeffrey Donaldson’s Assembly seat…

Brian O'Neill on May 12, 2022, 8:23 pm | Readers 4152

It seems Sir Jeff prefers the bright lights of London. Only five days after getting elected to Lagan Valley he has decided he would rather stay an MP, thank you very much. All this might be a bit of a shock to the good people of Lagan Valley who voted for one person and got someone entirely different. But those are the rules. Emma Little-Pengelly was gracious enough to take part in our election event last week and she went …

Incoherence in Westminster is just as great as chaos in Stormont

Brian Walker on May 11, 2022, 12:09 pm | Readers 5581

To use a well known term from political science, we seem to be in a right bugger’s muddle. Brinkmanship is the order of the day. Wobbling on the cliff edge is Liz Truss the foreign secretary, threatening to bring in legislation to allow business to disregard EU rules on GB-NI trade as early as next week. She argues that existing EU concessions would “ make things worse.” It focuses on the fact that grace periods mean the protocol is not …

Jeffrey Donaldson was approached with an offer to rejoin the UUP…

Brian O'Neill on February 24, 2022, 10:33 am | Readers 4898

The Nolan Show has discovered that after losing the DUP leadership election to Edwin Poots Jeffrey Donaldson was approached by Doug Beattie to rejoin the UUP. On @BBCNolan today – More on the story #NolanLIVE broke last night when we revealed Sir Jeffrey Donaldson engaged in talks with the UUP, when he was asked by Doug Beattie to join the party 📻 @bbcradioulster 🎧 @BBCSounds 📞 03030805555 | 📲 81771 pic.twitter.com/izVJcCG42w — Stephen Nolan (@StephenNolan) February 24, 2022 Jeffrey does …

Government accused of #JeffreyMandering by changing the rules to let MPs also be MLAs…

Brian O'Neill on January 15, 2022, 8:18 pm | Readers 4943

The government is proposing the temporary return of dual mandates, MPs can also run as MLAs. This is being widely seen as a move to enable Jeffrey Donaldson to become an MLA but he can also maintain his MP status. His Lagan Valley seat is seen as vulnerable to Alliance so the DUP are doing all they can to avoid a by-election. Blatant Jeffrey Mandering and *all* politicians should call it for what it is. Democracy cannot be à la …

Confidence, Sir Jeffrey Donaldson and the NI Protocol…

Brian Pope on September 13, 2021, 7:39 am | Readers 5101

Sir Jeffrey Donaldson has threatened to pull down Stormont and said the NI Protocol is undermining confidence in devolution, but how can we define this confidence? Confidence, in general, is a mysterious commodity. One minute we seem to have it in abundance and the next – just when we need it the most – seems to melt away like a Mr Whippy on a scorching hot day. If we want to increase our self-confidence we might want to obtain some …

Bluff or confrontation is the looming choice, as pressures mount over the NI Protocol

Brian Walker on September 9, 2021, 11:49 am | Readers 8806

Over the Protocol, somebody’s bluff will be called over the next few weeks. But whose? If he’s to be believed Jeffrey Donaldson has just announced that if the EU doesn’t concede the abolition of most inspections at the ports, the DUP will quit the Assembly. The immediate withdrawal of DUP ministers from north-south bodies except over Covid liaison is the warning shot across the bows. Donaldson’s threats deliberately coincide with the visit of EU vice president Maroš Šefčovič to address …

Jeffrey Donaldson – The mouse that roared…

Brian O'Neill on September 9, 2021, 11:13 am | Readers 8725

There is no stranger sight than the famously mild-mannered Jeffrey Donaldson trying to play the hard man. This morning he gave a speech threatening to quit Stormont and trigger a fresh election “within weeks” if their demands over the NI Protocol are not met. At the start of the week, I heard a rumour that the DUP wanted to crash the Assembly to prevent SF from getting the First Minister position. I thought it was a bit fanciful but three …

Hain accuses Johnson, Cameron, May of NI ‘neglect’ – and Foster for ‘lapdog’ tendency

Paul Gosling on August 13, 2021, 6:00 am | Readers 4254

Boris Johnson, Theresa May and David Cameron must accept part of the responsibility for the continuing “gridlock” of politics in Northern Ireland, through their failure to engage in the political process here, argues former Labour secretary of state Peter Hain. He also allocates blame to Conservative secretaries of state, with the exception of Julian Smith. Hain says that prime ministers must recognise that their role includes strong engagement with the Northern Ireland parties, in order to keep political progress on track. “You …

Political legacy of distrust cannot be wished away, says Donaldson

Paul Gosling on August 6, 2021, 9:00 am | Readers 4182

The distrust between Northern Ireland’s political parties remains a legacy of the conflict and cannot be wished away or ignored, says DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson. He adds that the events of the Bobby Storey funeral and commemorations of dead members of the Provisional IRA mean that the Troubles remain a continuing source of tension between the largest parties. He was speaking in the latest Holywell Trust Forward Together podcast. Jeffrey argues that not only are the British government’s legacy proposals …

Five challenges for the new DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson…

Conor Glackin on June 28, 2021, 10:32 am | Readers 3426

After Sir Jeffrey Donaldson was formally endorsed as the next DUP leader on Saturday, it’s becoming clearer that not much else has changed apart from the headman. Questions remain regarding how they can revive the political beast that has managed to stay at the top of Northern Ireland politics for close to two decades. The following are five evident challenges that Sir Jeffrey and the rest of his party must tackle in the coming weeks and months. Uniting the party …

Jeffrey Donaldson elected new leader of the DUP…

Brian O'Neill on June 22, 2021, 12:57 pm | Readers 3914

Can he beat the previous record of 21 days? Will he be the First Minister? Popcorn at the ready… https://t.co/iNLMC6xsBe pic.twitter.com/dgAN09b2U0 — DUP (@duponline) June 22, 2021 Brian O'NeillI help to manage Slugger by taking care of the site as well as running our live events. My background is in business, marketing and IT. My politics tend towards middle-of-the-road pragmatism, I am not a member of any political party. Oddly for a member of the Slugger team, I am not …

SluggerTV – the DUP melodrama episode

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on June 21, 2021, 8:54 pm | Readers 2437

Commentators Tim Cairns and Sarah Creighton joined Slugger O’Toole’s deputy editor David McCann to discuss the dramatic loss of a second leader and the challenges ahead for the DUP in the latest episode of SluggerTV. What tipped the balance to end Edwin Poots’ leadership? How will the next leader be different? If there’s a by-election in Lagan Valley, might Brenda Hale run for the DUP, and what about the chances of Alliance’s Sorcha Eastwood and UUP’s Robbie Butler? What’s Edwin …

Jeffrey Donaldson declares his candidacy for DUP Leader

David McCann on June 21, 2021, 6:30 pm | Readers 1934

.@J_Donaldson_MP confirms his candidacy for DUP leader pic.twitter.com/sArllHCNqL — Enda McClafferty (@endamcclafferty) June 21, 2021 David McCannDavid McCann holds a PhD in North-South relations from University of Ulster. You can follow him on twitter @dmcbfs

DUP Leadership Ballot to take place on 14th May

David McCann on May 4, 2021, 6:35 pm | Readers 2375

More breaking news tonight – the DUP chairman Lord Morrow has confirmed leadership election will take place Friday 14 May at 11am pic.twitter.com/IDE8rnRNAx — Jayne McCormack (@BBCJayneMcC) May 4, 2021 More from Sam McBride about who can vote, The key part of the DUP statement on the rules for its first ever leadership contest is not the date (next Friday) or that it will be held virtually, but that it appears to include Jim Wells as part of the electorate …

Foster expresses deep regret for party’s mistakes over RHI while Boris imagines ‘UKNI’ dystopia but fails to excite DUP activists #DUP18

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on November 24, 2018, 5:32 pm | Readers 6576

Read back key sections and listen to speeches from today’s DUP Conference. Arlene Foster apologised for the party’s mistakes over RHI, hinted at a ‘cultural deal’ and expressed her wish for devolution to be restored. Boris Johnson spoke about buses, Brexit and light sabres …

Healing, Honour and Hope – What Next? (Kingsley Donaldson & Declan Kearney) #feile16

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on August 2, 2016, 4:49 pm | Readers 1273

Talking alongside Kinglsey Donaldson at Féile, Declan Kearney appealed to political unionism to stop holding back on reconciliation with its “active commission or omission [that] reinforces, incites and perpetuates sectarian mind-sets and division, and blocks progress and positive initiatives”.

Reflections on Remembrance – avoiding disharmony or transforming relationships? #JHISS

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on July 26, 2016, 8:07 pm | Readers 616

SURVIVING OR TRANSFORMING? Listen back to this afternoon’s panel at John Hewitt International Summer School who were asked whether we are just getting through these years and the contention without too much disharmony, or are we creating something new and transforming relationships on this island?