And so, as the sun sets in the west, we say farewell to Peter Robinson. As he shuffles slowly towards the sign marked ‘Exit’, a series of frozen stills come to mind and settle into a final image of the man.
I see Peter as Paisley’s gofer, always at his side and trying to avoid the spittle. Then I see him in Clontibret, suddenly realizing that terrorizing a small village mightn’t have been such a good idea after all. Maybe most vividly of all, I see him in that buttock-clenchingly embarrassing TV monologue, with ‘The Best Dad In The World’ clearly visible on the shelf behind him, as he tries hoarse-voiced to cope with the fact that, financially and sexually, his wife has just tossed a hand grenade into their lives and political careers. Finally I see him at a press conference, referring to “Martin and I”. A small thing, surely, but part of a civility of tone marked by its absence from the speech of many of his colleagues.
Will the DUP be glad he’s gone? Some will, certainly: I doubt (don’t ask me why) that Nigel Dodds or Gregory Campbell will shed any tears over his leaving. Arlene Foster will probably be glad he’s gone, since she’s fairly likely to succeed him. Will nationalism/unionism be glad he’s departed? My guess is no, they won’t. Not that they had any illusions about Peter, but there was a pragmatic streak to him that is not always evident in those who will be jostling for that top position. I could be wrong – yes, I know you know that, Virginia – but I think there may be a similar element in Arlene Foster’s make-up. Let’s hope so and let’s hope she succeeds Peter, who’ll go back to his fish and ties and who-knows-what. Is it too much to dream that Arlene might be the first unionist leader to be proactive in reaching out to nationalism/republicanism? Probably. But you gotta have a dream.
Is it too much to dream that Arlene might be the first unionist leader to be proactive in reaching out to nationalism/republicanism? Probably. But you gotta have a dream.
When Unionists do it will be honest unlike the duplicitous way Republicans have done it.
Robinson is around the same age as Adams and is tired mmmm perhaps Adams might get the hint or is he trying to break the long leadership record?
“When Unionists do it will be honest unlike the duplicitous way Republicans have done it.” Oh dear. Poor start.
You.are.one.Sad.man.neill
Far from it I am filled with gaiety Jim.Hunter
“When Unionists do it will be honest unlike the duplicitous way Republicans have done it.”
Is your bitter soaked comments on this blog your way of reaching out to Nationalists/Republicans, Neill?….
“Is it too much to dream that Arlene might be the first unionist leader to be proactive in reaching out to nationalism/republicanism? Probably. But you gotta have a dream.
When Unionists do it will be honest unlike the duplicitous way Republicans have done it.”
Nothing to do with the fact the unionist vote has peaked demography wise and is about to face a steady phase of decline for the foreseeable future.
Don’t worry, you wont break our spirits neill.
Take it easy Jessica – Arlene Foster and dreaming in the same sentence!
I’ll need some mind-unbending drugs to cope with that idea.
This is Newton Emerson’s thought on the matter which I agree with
Nigel Dodds and Arlene Foster, Robinson’s probable successors as party leader and first minister respectively, both suffered horrendous traumas at the hands of the IRA. Gunmen targeted Dodds while he visited his son at a children’s hospital, a crime considered shocking even by Troubles standards. Foster had to leave her home as a child after an attempt on her father’s life and later survived the bombing of a school bus.
How many of us could live through these experiences then sit calmly in an office with the people we hold responsible?
Shooting people in hospital, despicable. Strangely never deplored or condemned when Loyalists shot Maire Drumm dead while she was a patient in the Mater Hospital in 1975. Still, she was a republican and as we all know they have no feelings
Ah yes Maire Drumm fine human being indeed she had no problem in supporting the terror campaign and she was consumed by it as is often the way
You sound as if your supporting the murder of Maire Drumm Neill? So much for Law and Order, eh?…
You might also have mentioned , neill , that Nigel was also “bricked” by some of his loyalist “compadres” not so long ago, in full view of the public .Maybe it’s a personality thing rather than some cross-community nastyness or rivalry at work? He doesn’t appear to have the most pleasant personality traits, coming across as impossibly dour… I’ll grant , but I thought attempting to kill the man was a step too far, too.Of course all that killing and attempted assassination was par for the course over the decades between the rival groupings….either by remotely-controlled collusion or in one -to- one terms. That stuff was done for years and crossed the divide . That’s why the Good Friday Agreement was eventually cobbled together .I’m sure both sides could compare personal horror stories forever.
Do you think the possibility of Arlene as First minister and Nigel as leader of the party is a sop to the backwoods men in the party? It could be very tricky for Arlene to make any progressive compromises if she hss to run everything past (both senses of the word) Dodds!
One of the reasons Peter Robinson got into politics was because one of his closest frends died in an IRA bomb attack on a civilIan workplace in the early 1970s. So in a way, if Gerry and Martin had never existed then so too neither would Peter.
The attacks on Catholic homes in 1969 by the RUC and Loyalists led to the creation of the provisional IRA in 1970 and to the recruitment of the aforementioned republicans. So by your logic had Protestants not attacked Catholics in 1969 then there would have been no IRA, no Peter the politician. There is a branch of Science Fiction literature that deals with alternative histories, maybe some here like Glenn Patterson could write one about here.
Ah ha, KoppabergCentral, so in a way what you are saying is if Martin and Gerry had not been born you wouldn’t be able to trust a Muslim to go to the shops!
KoppabergCentral, that’s one way of justifying Peter Robinson joining the political party of a Protestant extremist and fundamentalist. Or maybe if the Unionist Government didn’t run a sectarian and anti-Catholic state then maybe thousands of upon thousands of bad events would never have happened? Maybe?…..Not to mention we all know senior Unionist ministers were up to their necks in collusion with Loyalists just as much as the British Government later were. Gusty Spence and his Loyalist mates could’ve told you all about that.
My daddy could beat your daddy a fight Neil.
Could he bollocks!
Arlene is an embarrassment who seems to just get a pass everytime she struggles through TV debates and interviews. Dodds is a heart attack waiting to happen so I would go with Sammy sure he gives us all a laugh would even prefer Gregory, at least you know what your dealing with.
Great.story
In.deed.
Hey Jude …Is “Jim.hunter” one of those robots …y’know, like those phone dialers that ring on your telephone line at the same time every day?….just asking….
He.May.Be.P.K.But.I.Like.It…
No.I.am.not.
Frequent references have been made to legacy issues being placed on the back burner. Unfortunately the back burner is somewhat overcrowded at present, given delays with motorway projects, the Police Training College, the Long Kesh site and the lack of inward investment. Waiting lists for medical consultations grow longer as manufacturing jobs disappear almost on a daily basis with associated pay constraints in other industries. A little more peer pressure after Christmas is unlikely to deliver sustainable high quality public services. It is not all gloom and doom though given investment and job creation proposals for MI5. Perhaps some of our politicians need shaken and stirred.
It has been predicted for some time now, that once there was an agreement, Robinson would resign – he did! Did Robinson name the agreement? As it most certainly will be a fresh start for him!
I see a Paisleyite exit strategy – legacy of ones career is of paramount importance. Resign when the atmosphere allows one to, before the storm begins! Robinson will now hope his legacy is remembered for the continuation of the power sharing institutions, bringing the shinners to accepting welfare reform and an end to “paramilitarism”. But, in essence, what has he really achieved as leader of the DUP?
Robinson is bowing out – he’s booked a place in a lifeboat on the Titanic – he knows the DUP will face the electorate in May in a weakened position, particularly as Mike Nesbitt is preparing the arsenal to fire everything at the DUP. I feel he did all in his power, not to save the power sharing institutions, but to prevent an early Assembly election – he most certainly did not want to contend with a decreased vote and the possibility of Sinn Fein First Minister – how could he have resigned then? As a failed leader or a party he helped to build? Like a failed leader as in David Trimble? Agreement on the table, East Belfast won back, biggest Unionist party – why not resign?
There seems to be a notion that Nigel Dodds will resume the party leadership, after having taken the deputy role from Robinson in 2008. If he becomes the leader, will he lead from Westminster, or will her contest an Assembly seat? Arlene Foster, the potential new First Minister – a permanent gatekeeper, until the next election, controlling the “rogues and renegades.” Interesting times ahead – As we approach as Assembly Election in May, a new DUP leader will play hardline politics over the UUP – how will this affect the institutions? One things for sure, Robinson, won’t care! The fresh start could all end up stale!
The musical name of P. Smokey Robinson will always, Esteemed Blogmeister, be associated with the disputatious dance known as the Hokey Cokey.
Even the name of the dance itself is in dispute. While in Britain (such as it is and while it still lasts) the dance is known as The Hokey Cokey in other places such as the USA, the Free Southern Stateen and Australia it is more commonly known as The Hokey Pokey.
Of course, there are exceptions to every school of thought and this rule of thumb is no excepsh.
Jimmy Kennedy, the songwriter from Omagh who continues to gimme, it was who put the lyrics to the old tune, had one foot which he liked to put in the FSS and which foot he liked to take out again. Having been educated and later residing to the FSS.
Perhaps, and one is only speculating here, other distinguished denizens of Norneverland – say, for example, the Celtic Tigress knowns as Iris whose very name on one red letter day went viral and became, in the process a veritable world wide, erm, virus – might even prefer to call the disputatious dance, The Hokey Pokey.
Certainly there are some who, erm, like to shake it all about that this in indeed so,. Though, of course in the absence of hard, straight and narrow evidence, this must remain, of necessity, both a moot and a mute point.
There are different theories as to the remote origins of the dance, with reference to the Shakers of Massachusetts finding particular favour.
Though Canon Mathew Damon (no relation), Provost (not Vicar) of Wakefield, West Yorkshire in recent times went beyond the theoretical and landed fair and square in the factual. Thundering being a Provost sorta thingy, he thundered:
-The Hokey Cokey originated in the traditional Latin Mass. The priest would perform his movements with his back to the congregation, who could not hear well the words, nor understand the Latin, nor clearly see his movements.
That declaration of fact emphatically gives the lie to those who denied that the recent prolonged demonstration of the Hokey Cokey was anything other than what it actually was: a Papist Plot. (Is it too late to consign these mischievous mis-informants to the Chokey?)
Smokey sans Bandit
Weeping profusely to the ‘Tears of the Clown’
Fretting on his C’tibret selfservous breakdown
No more will Smokey
Do the Hokey Cokey
Knowing alas Belfast will be his No Mo Town.
PS It was The Woodman who broke the lugubrious news on Yawning Ireland at Breakfast time in the Free Southern Stateen. Choosing to gleefully emphasise one particular phrase in the statement of departure: ‘there comes a time for every party to change its leader’.
Which made Cathal Mac Coille (mar is e a bhi ann !) to simultaneously deliver a metaphorical hint hint nudge nudge to his devoted listenership.
Could be the Woodman might do well to be wary of getting what he wishes for: he might even find it even more difficult to make casts of his teeth with the next leader. He might even yet find himself longing for the peppermint chewing gum out of which the putative member of PIRA was formed.
Who knows what direction the DUP will go now since Robbo has decided to ditch the reins, though its no surprise to anyone. I would love it if Gregory Campbell became leader but I don’t think poor Gregory could stomach being too close to those pesky Shinners or the Stoops on a daily basis. Or maybe Edwin Poots could be a contender? Though I think it would be strange to see him walking around with a clothes peg clipped to his nose when in close proximity to Martin McGuinness.
Whoever takes over the reins of the DUP I think from a nationalist/republican point of view we wont be seeing much change.
What’s your pacience like with Huns? Do you know any in your day to day life?
“Take it easy Jessica – Arlene Foster and dreaming in the same sentence!
I’ll need some mind-unbending drugs to cope with that idea.”
That was neills dreams I was replying to sherdy
I don’t know though, is she not a fine looking woman?
A mini and high heels and it might bring a while new perspective to the DUP and give neill his wet dream. 🙂
“What’s your pacience like with Huns? Do you know any in your day to day life?”
I don’t approve of that language KC and I hope Jude wont either.
I know you have issues but it doesn’t excuse such behaviour on a public forum.
Go and get yourself professional help or at least show some respect for the people here until you do.
timing was good to deflect from the disaster of the sf,dup cuts.