A New Era
I have just got back to the Assembly after recording my interview with Ian Paisley Senior at Stormont Castle. So after months of speculation, controversies over his son's lobbying and disquiet within the ranks over the "Chuckle Brothers" image of the First and Deputy First, Ian Senior has finally confirmed his departure date. It will be shortly after the US Investment Conference in early May.
The next DUP leader is almost certainly going to be Peter Robinson, with Nigel Dodds as his deputy. Party sources say the succession could be approved by the Assembly party, without needing to go to any wider election involving the party membership.
Did he jump or was he pushed? He vehemently denied to me that his decision had anything to do with pressure from within. But it's impossible to separate this announcement from the rumblings of once loyal allies. With his 82nd birthday looming, the clock was ticking in any case.
So what will the new dispensation be like? The prediction is a couple of "cool dudes" to replace the warmth of the "chuckle brothers" - a business like approach which does not provide too many hostages to fortune for the TUV.
And with no Ian Paisley, new horizons open up for unionism. Recently Sir Reg Empey told me there could be no realignment within unionism whilst Paisley remained. There are more possibilities in a post Paisley era.
A post Paisley era. Even though it's been coming for months and I sat there and heard it from his lips I am still having difficulty believing it.
I'm 
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I'm sure nobody will miss the Big Man as much as his deputy: Martin, I mean. I gather their version of "Green Eggs And Ham" is absolutely priceless. Perhaps they could be persuaded to record it, as a memento of a golden time.
Didn't really give a very good explanation to your question of why he wasn't going to serve as first minister for the full term.
Still retained his very unique sense of humour - complete with "getting into the Guinness Book of Records without the Guinness" jokes.
Time for Sean Crummey to rush out a special Folks on the Hill!
Didn't really give a very good explanation to your question of why he wasn't going to serve as first minister for the full term.
Still retained his very unique sense of humour - complete with "getting into the Guinness Book of Records without the Guinness" jokes.
Time for Sean Crummey to rush out a special Folks on the Hill!
(And you were so right about the difficulty in leaving comments - 502 errors galore.)
Didn't really give a very good explanation to your question of why he wasn't going to serve as first minister for the full term.
Still retained his very unique sense of humour - complete with "getting into the Guinness Book of Records without the Guinness" jokes.
Time for Sean Crummey to rush out a special Folks on the Hill!
(And you were so right about the difficulty in leaving comments - 502 errors galore.)
Didn't really give a very good explanation to your question of why he wasn't going to serve as first minister for the full term.
Still retained his very unique sense of humour - complete with "getting into the Guinness Book of Records without the Guinness" jokes.
Time for Sean Crummey to rush out a special Folks on the Hill!
(And you were so right about the difficulty in leaving comments - 502 errors galore.)
"for all who draw the sword will die by the sword."
Paisley brought out the sword on so many Unionist leaders. Now it has caught up on him. I have no sympathy.
The Northern Ireland population loves to deride its famous sons and daughters if given half a chance. Blair Mayne, George Best and Alex Higgins to name a few. Like it or not Ian Paisley went from the fringes of Unionism and a pariah like view as a bigot to create the biggest party in NI with the largest personal vote anywhere in the UK to become its Senior Statesman. Strange how the likes of Empey, Trimble and Alderdice are given titles for doing little or nothing yet the "big man" has never been recognised. Shame on those who have deprived him of this well deserved recognition. Well done Dr Paisley, if it wasnt for your vision we would have no assembly or peace process today.
Paisley has finally gone and we are finally free from the blinding hypocracy which characterised his time as First Minister. Paisley may have contributed to the St Andrews agreement but without his influence we would never have needed a peace process in the first place.
I will be sorry to see Ian Paisley to go. I don鈥檛 think it is because of Ian Junior although that didn鈥檛 help. This was the result of the Robinson PR machine in over drive. Who wants Robinson to be new leader and First Minister? Not I for sure. Mark you should do a poll and see how many people want Robinson or Dodds. Peter Robinson always said about not sitting down with terrorists. Here is a history lesson on this delinquent -
In 1985 August 7th to be exact Robinson led a group of 500 loyalists into the village of Clontibret, County Monaghan, in the Republic of Ireland. The loyalists entered the Garda S铆och谩na station in the village and physically assaulted two police officers, before holding a military drill in the square. Robinson was later arrested. He pleaded guilty to unlawful assembly and was fined 拢17,500 in a Drogheda court because of the incident. Due to this Robinson briefly resigned from the DUP deputy leadership.
In a subsequent court appearance in Dundalk Peter Robinson again led a large loyalist mob into the town which led to a riot. At his trial the judge described Peter Robinson as "a senior extremist politician." In November 1986 Peter Robinson spoke at the Ulster Hall rally which launched Ulster Resistance which collaborated with the Ulster Volunteer Force and the Ulster Defence Association to procure arms. Peter Robinson was photographed wearing the loyalist paramilitary regalia of beret and military fatigues at an Ulster Resistance rally.
Who wants Peter Robinson as first Minister? Definitely not me. With a history of this and other things which i will not blog about, Robinson should go away with Jim Allister
Feel free to remove the duplicates. Website says failure ... but actually posts the comments. Straaange.
ASK THE QUESTIONS MARK AND DON鈥橳 BE A 鈥楲AZY JOURNALIST鈥欌
Why has no journalist asked Peter Robinson does he intend to stand down as Deputy Leader of the Democratic Unionist Party? If he does not stand down, then there can be no election to a post which is already occupied.
Will all those appointed as DUP Ministers by the present First Minister, Ian Paisley, also be tendering their resignations, as protocol would demand, in order to allow the new Leader/First Minister the freedom to appoint his/her own team.
The Ides of March re-enacted by the DUP Assembly Party 2008; it was Brutus, the adopted son who 鈥榙one for鈥 Julius Caesar. History does indeed repeat itself 鈥 I wonder who the adopted son was on this occasion?
From the Paisley dynasty to the Robinson dynasty 鈥 Iris will not be leaving the building now! Will she be cosying up to 鈥楧arth Vader鈥 of the UUP in a weak moment of political reconciliation or will she continue in her role as Ulster鈥檚 Bodicia?
Puzzling, isn鈥檛 it?
PS鈥o you think it is too late for Bob six-jobs McCartney to make a comeback?
Mark
DON鈥橳 LET THE FACTS GET IN THE WAY OF A GLOWING TRIBUTE
The tributes flowing in for Paisley are beyond lampoon. Fulsome accolades from Politicians and Pundits have crowded the airwaves for a man:
路 whose career was founded on anti-Catholic rant and rhetoric, taking sectarian bigotry to a new level;
路 whose actions (e.g. Divis Street 1964) played a key part in igniting The Troubles;
路 who was protected from assassination by the Army Council because of his usefulness in attracting recruits to the PIRA;
路 who wrecked political havoc all round him until he could become top honcho;
路 who jettisoned every one of his Party鈥檚 core principles to get his snout in the trough;
路 who has ignored sleaze within his own Party.
Susie
Carryduff
5 March, 2008
COMMENT EDITED
its interesting that martin brings up details of peter robinson's past, without even referring to the fact that we have a former IRA leader currently in the role of deputy first minister. surely in this case they would be the ideal partners... and lets face it, paisley has pulled similar stunts so why are you sad to see him go? i dont think you can call robinson either a delinquent or a terrorist. he is an able politician (much more able than paisley) and has a charisma that dodds just doesnt have. i look forward to his leadership, and i'm not even a DUP voter
Like everything Paisley has done since last May, I don't really know what to make of this.
Seems a bit weird that he announced his retirement in the same way as Blair, which led to plenty of problems for the man. Could be a case of party before self, but I can't see either ego really considering that.
At the end of the day though, it's easy to see why Paisley opposed peace all these years. It only took a year of it to bring him down.
Mark
CREDIT EDIT
It causes me no difficulty that as Blog Owner you have every right to edit Posters鈥 comments. I would seek, however, a small concession on your part. In light of the significant editing of my Post 12 above, which diluted greatly the message that I was trying to convey, I would ask you to revert to your recently discarded practice of inserting the term: 鈥淐OMMENT EDITED鈥 to highlight that a contribution has been tampered with. This simple measure would explain the reason for the 鈥榖are look鈥 of a Post such as No 12.
Hoping you can agree.
Love xox
Susie
Carryduff
8 March, 2008
In Relation To Sam Thompson's Comment ----
Everyone Knows about Martin McGuiness's past. The dogs on the street know about it. Not many people know that Peter Robinson brought a mass crowd to the Republic of Ireland in 1985, entered the Gardai station and physically assaulted 2 Gardai Officers. I agree that McGuiness and Robinson will be ideal partners as they are ruthless to succeed. How can anyone call Robinson an able politician? Yes he gets the votes year in and year out but at what price? He sells people out. It is strange now that he wants the Maze in his own backyard. Why not build it in West Belfast close to the M1? Oh and what about Peter Robinson wrecking the civil service? Also Peter Robinson does now want any services in a Catholic area. He is a bitter twisted man.
In fairness Martin, Peter Robinson doesn't want any services anywhere, this is a trend he picked up from Castlereagh Council where they have the lowest rates, and very little in the way of services. But thats ok for Castlereagh residents, they can all jump on the bus and use the leisure centres and dumps etc in Belfast. On a national level such penny pinching doesn't work that way.
martin - how is peter robinson going to move the maze to his own back yard? if he could do that he truly would be an able politician!
Move the stadium idea from the Maze outside Lisburn to East Belfast. Common sense is not so common