A fiery battle in Ballymena
So ian Paisley has decided not to run again in North Antrim. No surprise there despite the contrary signals he sent out in interviews for the House magazine and elsewhere. Anyone who watched him closely in recent months would have moved towards the conclusion that he seemed ready to retire.
Breaking the news to the Ballymena Guardian, the former DUP leader said that the Official Unionist Henry Clark's decision to burn his picture had spurred him to contest North Antrim. There's no doubt that this year's election battle is shaping up to be every bit as much an incendiary contest.
The other DUP MLA in the constituency, Mervyn Storey, is making it clear that he is backing Ian Paisley Junior as candidate. This sets the scene for a battle royal between Ian Junior and the Traditional Unionist leader Jim Allister.
Although the DUP have a majority of almost 18,000, Mr Allister polled well in North Antrim during last year's European elections. Some tallies reckoned he outpolled the DUP candidate Diane Dodds. However facing a Paisley, albeit the junior version, will present a different challenge.
Expect clashes across the full range of issues, from the principle of power sharing, to the outgoing MP's attendance record at Westminster and Ian Junior's lobbying activities on the margins of the St. Andrews' talks. Ian Junior will focus, as he did on Good Morning Ulster, on what he would view as the negativity of the TUV message. Fasten your seat belts, it could be a bumpy ride!
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