Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, the Lagan Valley MP, has triumphed in the one-horse race to replace Edwin Poots as leader of the DUP, getting the top job at the second time of asking. Nobody else came forward to instigate a leadership election, meaning that his appointment will be rubber stamped when the party’s electoral college meets this Saturday.
Respected at Westminster, Donaldson seems a more plausible fit for high office than the gauche Poots, though both men are remarkably similar; Donaldson, like Poots, is a committed Christian and is a prominent Orangeman.
History is never far away from the politics of Northern Ireland. Donaldson’s win coincides with the centenary of the opening of the Northern Ireland parliament. The future of the current form of devolved government is the central issue in Donaldson’s in-tray.
Despite the customary blandishments from Donaldson about ‘working together’, devolution is in a precarious position
Donaldson has said that while ‘the coalition government is unwieldy, it ensures every voice is heard’.
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