Is the DUP’s position a true reflection of how the unionist electorate feels about the peace process?
The DUP has made its name on simple messages: ‘No’ and ‘Never’. It has cast itself as the righteous outsider, ground down by tyrants, starting with the mild mannered Terence O’Neill back in the 1960s. All efforts to reform Northern Ireland to give Catholics equal status have been met with warnings about the ‘Romeward trend’ and the ‘road to Dublin’, and wrecked. The 2003 elections to the Northern Ireland assembly have changed things dramatically. The DUP is now in power, if it chooses. The Reverend Ian Paisley or his deputy, Peter Robinson, has the right to be First Minister, with four other ministerial positions in the executive. The DUP cannot claim to be the persecuted underdog any longer, and much of its Biblical rhetoric to that effect must now be dropped. This is a great victory but it presents problems. The DUP has played heavily on the fears of its supporters – only the Big Man, God’s designate on earth, can save Ulster. Now he has to do it. It is clear that the DUP wants to ta
