John McGuirk

The current circus surrounding Peter and Iris Robinson will come to an end only when he resigns. That’s politics, unpleasant as it may be, and the sooner the First Minister wakes up to it the better. It’s a pity, because while Peter Robinson spent a large part of his career being an unpleasant bigot (trust me, I was brought up a few miles from Clontibret) , in recent years he had evolved into a respected and thoughtful leader of unionism. For his career to be torpedoed by what the bizarre indiscretion of his wife is just unfortunate. There is, I think, little doubt that any offences Peter committed were committed in order to protect Iris. There are few who would not do the same to protect somebody they loved. But regardless of the motives, or even whether there is much fault, Peter Robinson will find it hard to survive.

In that context, the internal politics of the DUP are of immense concern to those of us who share the island with them. While the ideal scenario – from the point of view of the peace process – would be to see the UUP, in concert with the Conservative Party, emerge as the largest Unionist party after the forthcoming elections to Westminster, the risk that instability in the DUP brings with it is the emergence of an even more hard line alternative, such as the TUV.

The DUP leader needs to be somebody who has both credibility with the party’s base, and those across the table. Of the current crop, only Jeffrey Donaldson fits the bill. He has shown a willingness to walk away from a bad deal for Unionism, and he has, almost alone amongst Unionist leaders, shown a regular willingness to engage with southern republicanism. He’s a regular speaker at events in the South, and during the most fraught times of the last ten years was always willing to put his case on RTE as well as the BBC.

He’s also got the right ideas. Away from the national question, Donaldson is a believer in free markets, strong defence, law and order, and low taxes. A northern economy which has been for years burdened with the kind of stupid regulation and statism that comes from foreign rule needs somebody with his reforming credentials. Moving away from incessant debate on the national question, and towards real discussion of the policy challenges facing the six counties is the task of the next decade. Donaldson has served a long apprenticeship. He has shown himself to be tough, committed, talented, and flexible. It matters little, of course, but this blog endorses him.