Letter: Incoming UUP leader Jon Burrows already has his first big headache after Lucid poll results
A letter from K J Turner:
Jon Burrows has just been handed his first big headache, even before he officially takes on the mantle of leader of the UUP, with the present Lucid poll declaring the present incumbent Mike Nesbitt as the most adequate minister and de facto most popular leader.
It would not be unkind to say that Mr Nesbitt has done so by being a hands off leader and has quite rightly concentrated his efforts on righting his ministry whilst those party MLAs within the confines of Stormont have been leading the battle sat upon the blue benches.
So whilst Mike, who has by and large led the party in the same direction as did Doug Beattie before him, has approached Northern Ireland politics with a softly, softly approach - and this coupled with the tremendous efforts of Robin Swann who has been making friends and allies for the unionist cause in Westminster by adopting a similar mantra - it would it seem gives Mr Burrows who has been swinging the sledgehammer all around him a bit of a headache.
From dogs at Magilligan, to the police ombudsman and all points between, none have escaped his attention, and the attention of social media and listeners to the Nolan Show.
So what does he do now ? Does he carry on as he started, or does he rein back and adopt the Mike approach?
One suspects he will go headlong into the job as a new broom and want to stamp his mark on the party pretty quickly. But with a party not wholely convinced of his credentials it may be a difficult thing to do, especially as the present leader has just captured the market on voter preference for his particular style.
The next couple of polls are going to be interesting reading for the UUP, and Mr Burrows will probably be looking over his shoulder at how he stacks up in the eyes of the electorate, as will those within the party.
This was why it was important for the party to have a leadership contest because it would have been the party’s choice which way they wanted to go – and in the case of Mr Burrows, had he won he could legitimately have stated that he was elected to do the job instead of being effectively co-opted once again.
He has just over a year until his biggest test which is to return a stronger Ulster Unionist Party to the political fore in Northern Ireland. I wish him and the party well and hope that he takes the right road to success.
K J Turner, former UUP council group leader; past UUP executive member