If You Ask Me
by Fionnula O Connor

Eight years ago the strains of compromise and the Good Friday Agreement tore into Ulster Unionism, the SDLP and Sinn Fein. One party stood back and grinned.

The DUP enjoyed the spectacle of this odd condition, dissent, and what it did to others. He was his own pope, the Reverend Ian Paisley joked, and he had cardinals at his bidding, which was a bit near the knuckle for a lifelong pope-basher.

Some say we've only just got back to where we were in 1998. In fact, we've moved on pretty dramatically. David Trimble and moderate unionism were ultimately destroyed from within for settling with John Hume and moderate nationalism - for dealing, holding their noses, with republicans.

Now Ian Paisley and no surrender unionism is on course to settle with Gerry Adams and the hated "Sinn Fein/IRA".

The Paisley dream of decades has come true - that one day he would sweep aside the compromisers and Lundys to be leader of unionism. He even has the trinkets of political respectability so long withheld: a privy counsellorship for himself, a seat in the Lords for Eileen.

But at what a price. He can only take office accompanied by Martin McGuinness.

And there's more. A week ago, and in public, the man of certainty tied himself in knots.

The Paisley speech as revised by committee would have been better not ending "Here I stand" - none of Luther's nails, more like blutack and fumbling with Blair and Hain shouting "foul."

Nerves were taut in Stormont, even before proceedings were so rudely interrupted. A dozen disciples broke party lines: some of them "cardinals." The grumpy statement signed by Nigel Dodds, Willie McCrea, Gregory Campbell - and Lord Morrow, even Lord Morrow - was immediately, unconvincingly downplayed. This week the leader admitted there had been a problem - though he was "quite happy we have negotiated out of that."

Who could have imagined this mild Paisley, "negotiating" with mere followers? Still, Nigel and Willie are more than that. At different times both have been depicted as future leaders, Nigel in particular emerging lately as what Vatican-watchers call "papabile" - pope-material.

Even in mild mode, the leader couldn't resist adding that some who had signed were now sorry. And to mark just how much the times have changed, Lord Morrow promptly declared that he was not sorry.

Ian Paisley may deserve praise for leading unionism towards a final historic compromise. But no wonder Ulster Unionists beamed last Monday morning while the DUP glumly faced their future: salaried, empowered, but shackled to Sinn Fein and, maybe, split.

Terence O'Neill must be chanting "Paisley must go" up there on his celestial cloud. Republican police officers can't be far away. The old cynical certainties are no more - and a good thing too.

If You Ask Me Archive