Monday, January 11, 2010

The Right Decision

Credit to Peter Robinson for taking the painful decision to stand aside for six weeks while an official inquiry is launched into what he knew about his wife's business dealings. It is unquestionably the right thing for him to do. I hope he is in a position to be able to clear his name, but he clearly has some very difficult questions to answer.

It is interesting that he has nominated Arlene Foster to take over the office of First Minister on a temporary basis. But the appointment certainly puts her in pole position should Peter Robinson have to quit entirely. Other candidates are Nigel Dodds, Samuel Wilson and Jeffrey Donaldson.

13 comments:

Grumpy Old Man said...

Dear Ian. O/T. Just recieved an email from Amazon stating that my copy of "Inside Out" is delayed by a couple of days. Congrats. The copies must be flying off the press. Do remember to thank Sunder and Hopi for all the free publicity, won't you?

John said...

Don't think he is standing aside for six weeks but up to six weeks, perhaps he feels he won't need all of the time?

Panorama should be interesting tonight.

Unknown said...

Given the choice between Arlene, Sammy, Nigel and Jeffry, is there really any choice?? I'm more of a Conservative and Unionist voter, not DUP, and hope we win most of the votes come June, as I am sick and tired of the hardline approach taken by the DUP.

Anonymous said...

Robinson is finished. There are too many stories floating around East Belfast that can sink him. I think we'll see this temporary stepping down will become permanent.

Sammy Wilson doesn't have a cat in hell's chance of the DUP leadership. He rightly spoke his mind on climate change and it cost him political capital.

It will be between Nigel Dodds and Arlene Foster, with Jeffrey Donaldson an also ran. The DUP has been badly damaged by this scandal. Remains to be seen if the UUP can capitalise. Perhaps the TUV can make inroads if Jim Allister secures some positive coverage.

OldSlaughter said...

Yeah, it cannot be easy to hear accusations that your wife is a lying, thieving, homophobic, hypocritical, adulterous, embezzling embarrassment.

It must have been a 100% surprise for this honourable and decent fellow. How could he have known?

This stinks from top to bottom.

Glyn H said...

So the whole of the DUP is behind him? I can just hear Rev. Paisley chuckling along at all the press attention.

Love the ‘Deep Psychiatric’ line. The rest of us call that ‘deep embarrassment’.

And the now-grown-up-one was a papist as well. What a hoot.

She really ought to try a bisexual next; she might ‘cure’ him.

Just resign man. When the world is laughing at your discomfort your authority is shot. Go quickly, and there is just a possibility of return. Hang on by your fingernails, like every labour minister for the last x years and it is far more difficult.

If you preach like they have and the world finds out you are just like the rest of humanity - expect to get publicly bitten on the bottom

Malcolm Redfellow said...

autonomousmind @ 4:41 pm has the betting about right. If anything, he is generous about the chances of Donaldson.

So that probably means Westminster is stuck with him.

Unknown said...

Nobody believed me on nábídána.com when I suggested Arlene Foster would be appointed. If the decision doesn't have the support of Nigel Dodds, however, this could lead to a dreadful split within the DUP.

In my view, whilst Nigel Dodds is clearly one of the most intelligent men in Northern Ireland politics, the decision to pop La Foster in shows a subtlety and nimbleness one might have thought lacking in a troubled party.

I'm analysing this on my blog.

David Lindsay said...

Iris Robinson has probably contributed more than anyone else to the normalisation of politics in Northern Ireland.

The Tories always stood a good chance of winning North Down, and possibly also Belfast South. Those are both in the bag now, entirely unexpectedly joined by Strangford and by Belfast East. If Ian Paisley retires, then even Antrim North becomes a possibility, especially since the DUP will presumably run his ballast-for-brains, financially question-marked son, and since Jim Allister will split the DUP vote considerably. Only one more, perhaps again thanks to TUV, and that's a third of all seats in Northern Ireland. In a hung Parliament.

Labour and the Lib Dems were always going to have to contest seats there if the Tories made any serious effort to. Under the reasonably possible circumstances this year, they would move very quickly indeed to do so, not least considering the likelihood of a second General Election. Think of anywhere like East Belfast in England, Scotland or Wales and ask yourself whether Labour would ever allow the Tories to provide the MP. Well, there you are, then.

All of which means that Northern Ireland, where permanent and irremovable pseudo-centrist coalition was first tried overtly and has first collapsed spectacularly, will be a full participant in the rapidly approaching realignment to replace it.

Malcolm Redfellow said...

If David Lindsay @ 6:50 PM believes, for an instant, that the electors of East Belfast -- or North Antrim, or Lagan Valley or anywhere in the Black North -- vote the way they do out of class politics or for a sniff of ideology, rather than out of blind gut factionalism, then we truly have someone with "ballast for brains".

ranger1640 said...

The Robinson's money issue and cover up pales into insignificance to Gerry Adams's protection of his alleged paedophile brother, at the detriment of the real victim Gerry's nice. Laim is now on the run from the police, hiding out in the Irish Republic (no change there for on the run republicans).

Ian, what about putting the focus on the Sinn Fein/IRA president, party leader and republican statesman Gerry Adams. His lies and covering for his alleged paedophile brother Laim Adams.


The full background can be found below

http://sluggerotoole.com/index.php/weblog/comments/for-my-part-i-did-not-know-that-liam-was-a-member-of-sinn-fein/

Simon Gardner said...

Dear oh dear. Ah you and Peter Robinson the only people who think Peter Robinson is coming back? I think so.

I commend this YouTube to you.

Unsworth said...

@ David Lindsay

"Iris Robinson has probably contributed more than anyone else to the normalisation of politics in Northern Ireland"

Take a look at:

http://blogs.wsj.com/iainmartin/2010/01/12/the-swish-family-robinson/?mod=rss_WSJBlog

'Normalisation'? You bet, baby.