Arlene Foster should not resign

I do not think that Arlene Foster should resign.

No doubt she carries some blame but not all.

This blunder was made long ago when she was a minister in another executive. There were those above her who were to blame too. And some who were junior to her were also to blame.

This matter must be set before a background of a strange kind of peace process. The arranged government at Stormont was the price of getting guns off our streets. This is a government of compromise, no fault of Arlene Foster.

Her mistake made was that too big a risk was taken with public money hoping that it would bring some prosperity to parts of the Province but sadly it failed.

When fault is compared with the many awful other mistakes which were made by governments and by nearly all political parties in the past it is really nothing.

No lives were lost and Arlene Foster did not take a penny of the money to herself or her party. A few years can fix it and lessons were surely learned.

But to even suggest that Arlene Foster should pay the price is ridiculous.

The only people that can bring Arlene down are the DUP. But let any one of them consider the facts following: Arlene’s father paid a price for us all and Arlene, because her school bus was driven by someone hated for what he stood for. Arlene almost paid a huge price too.

I have been reading everything I can get about the latest crisis and I am sure that no better person from the Protestant side could be a better leader at this time.

She deserves another chance. Mrs Foster is a decent woman.

She is a Protestant but a fair Protestant to Catholics. She is reaching out to the Orange community too and though she is not extreme she seems to want to stand up for the old proven values.

At the right old age of 90 I take up my pen determinedly to plead for common sense. Please let Arlene keep her job.

This shall be my hope and prayer. I can assure all I have no ulterior motive.

James K Gardiner,

Coleraine