Energised party exudes genuine conference
At Saturday's TUV conference, Political Correspondent SAM McBRIDE found a party in confident mood
LIKE a great pentecostal meeting, the crowd shouted encouragements to the platform speakers and audibly murmured their assent as political rivals were assailed.
Saturday's TUV conference saw more than 200 people packed into the conference room of Belfast's Park Avenue Hotel but the fervour in the room was more akin to a Gospel gathering than the type of meeting normally held in four star hotels.
During a series of rousing speeches and sharp humour at the expense of senior DUP figures, the congregation roared, clapped and blew into their whistles with evangelical zeal.
Veteran Ballymena councillor Roy Gillespie regularly whirled his trademark football rattle above his head.
The scene made last month's Ulster Unionist conference, where William Hague, one of Parliament's most eloquent speakers, delivered a rousing speech, seem tame and stage-managed.
As TUV leader Jim Allister brought his more than hour-long speech to a climax, assaulting the DUP leader Peter Robinson, many members of the audience shouted "shame on him!" and "disgraceful!".
The frequent Biblical allusions and quotations further emphasised the missionary feel of a party unlike any other, as did the opening and closing in prayer by a minister.
There was a raucous energy about Saturday's conference which signifies that the TUV believes it is in the ascendancy. And unlike the tightly-controlled UUP conference, members of the audience were allowed to come forward and speak on the motions discussed.
The dynamism and passion evident on Saturday will be a huge asset as the party again enters election mode, canvassing across the Province.
However, that same fervour could also be a weakness if the party leadership loses control over some of those more headstrong individuals.
The challenge for the fledgling party, which to date has achieved remarkable influence in less than two years of existence, is to maintain its members' enthusiasm while establishing party discipline.
Many of Ulster's more exuberant churches - presumably where many of the party faithful worship - have struggled to maintain that sort of balance and have seen members drift off.
But Mr Allister will hope his growing band will be kept together by his firm leadership, coupled with anger at Sinn Fein in government and politicians' expenses claims.
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Tuesday 14 February 2012
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