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Northern Ireland election

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The minister that never was

  • Mark Devenport
  • 19 Apr 07, 05:33 PM

On Radio Ulster's Evening Extra my colleague Martina Purdy has just reported that the North Down MLA Alan McFarland turned down the chance to be Health Minister in the incoming executive. Apparently his reasoning was that his leader Sir Reg Empey should not be taking the other UUP ministerial job, at Employment and Learning, but should be concentrating on trying to rebuild the party. With no meeting of minds on this point, Sir Reg withdrew his offer and asked the South Belfast MLA Michael McGimpsey to take the health portfolio. That surprised many who believed Mr McGimpsey's star was on the wane after his failure to hold the UU Westminster seat in South Belfast.

Sir Reg and the North Down tank commander have crossed swords before. Alan McFarland beat Sir Reg to the UUP nomination as Westminster candidate for North Down only to be subsequently beaten by Bob McCartney. Then, after David Trimble resigned, he ran Sir Reg close for the leadership, running on a moderate ticket clearly associated with the North Down MP Lady Sylvia Hermon. Now Sir Reg has to contend with him on the back benches.

Some party colleagues can't understand it. One told me that if you aren't going to be party leader then surely being a minister has to be the pinnacle of your ambitions - so why didn't Alan take the offer? But anyone who peruses the transcripts of Stormont Preparation for Government Committee proceedings knows Mr McFarland is a man of forthright views - not only did he berate political journalists in general, he also once suggested that members of the public should not have direct access to devolved ministers. Instead, he suggested, MLAs should act as "the gatekeepers". For now, the North Down MLA won't need a gatekeeper although a UUP source tells me the party may well match the DUP in rotating its ministers after 2 years.

On a not entirely related note, why hasn't the DUP's Willie Hay been confirmed as the future Speaker? Maybe the two main parties are just spacing out their announcements or maybe the DUP isn't enamoured of an alleged Sinn Fein suggestion that Mr Hay could take the job for two years to be followed by Francie Molloy for the next two years.

Comments   Post your comment

  • 1.
  • At 07:16 PM on 19 Apr 2007,
  • Pandora wrote:

Mark, welcome back!

If the ambitious Sir Reg Empey is not committed to puting his energies into rekindling the UUP, he should step down as Leader and allow someone new to take over, such as Lady Sylvia Hermon - the first ever female Leader of a locally based political party!

  • 2.
  • At 06:26 PM on 20 Apr 2007,
  • Bill Streetley wrote:

Mark

The current unrest within the UUP reminds me of Grace Brothers in the 1970s sitcom: Are you being served? The similarities are striking, notably the fact that the Party, like Grace Brothers, is locked in the past, out of fashion and going downhill fast. So let鈥檚 think of the UUP in terms of reinventing it as the 70s sitcom.

I鈥檓 sure the Party鈥檚 performance in the Assembly will inspire lots of plotlines but for the moment I will provide outlines for the main dramatis personae who bear striking similarities to their Are You Being Served? counterparts.

Young Mr Grace = Sir Reg Empey: Seems very old, has difficulty forgetting the past and fails to notice that the Party is disintegrating in front of his eyes.

Captain Peacock = Alan McFarland: While elegant and softly spoken Alan is a no-nonsense chap who is determined to keep everybody on their toes, including Sir Reg.

Mr Rumbold = Michael McGimpsey: Pernickety senior party member, closely linked to Sir Reg and, like him, unaware of the dire state of the Party. Longs for the old days when people knew their station in life.

Mr Humphries = Danny Kennedy: Senior figure in the Party who is effective in discussion although he can be acid-tongued, if riled. Very tidy in appearance and may very well be Number One Metrosexual Man in the Assembly. Danny will definitely be free if offered a ministerial post.

Mrs Slocombe = Lady Hermon: The passing years have seen Lady Hermon move effortlessly from being a Miss Brahms to a more sedate Mrs Slocombe who produces ideas that no one else agrees with and generally delivers her views in a shrill voice more appropriate to a fading drama queen. She also has a cat that seems to go missing frequently as she is often heard asking: 鈥 has anyone seen my cat?鈥

Of course there could be others who might make guest appearances. For example, David Trimble and Jim Nicholson would be ideal participants where the plotline calls for dim-witted and humourless characters.

You know, Mark, I鈥檓 beginning to see a long-running series emerging here! The icing on the cake is that Sir Reg and his men can forge alternative careers with better long-term prospects than is the case at present.

Bill
Carryduff.

  • 3.
  • At 03:26 PM on 24 Apr 2007,
  • terry wrote:

"Lady Sylvia Hermon - the first ever female Leader of a locally based political party" Not so pandora. The PUPs Dawn Purvis takes that prize.

  • 4.
  • At 02:08 PM on 08 May 2007,
  • Pandora wrote:

Terry:

Oops...forgot about Ms Purvis!

  • 5.
  • At 01:03 PM on 09 May 2007,
  • Tedward wrote:


I think you'll find you are both wrong. The now defunct Unionist Party of Northern Ireland was led by Anne Dickson in the 1970's following the death of Brian Faulkner.

  • 6.
  • At 03:15 PM on 09 May 2007,
  • Pandora wrote:

...and I thought I knew a bit about politics - thanks for keeping me right! At least this is keeping the blog alive, as Mark may close it down, now that 'D' or 'R' Day has taken place?

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