Many of us believe the DUP never intended to collapse Stormont

International trade secretary Ann Marie Trevelyan has stated that Article 16 would not be triggered before Christmas (Nov 23). She doesn’t say which Christmas though.

It will suit Sir Jeffrey Donaldson just fine that the negotiations between EU and UK drag on as long as possible. With any luck they may even last until the bill to make collapsing Stormont a lot more difficult if not impossible has passed through the House of Lords and become law.

This will present him with an opportunity to say that he can’t now do what he has said he would on many occasions. There are many (including me) who believe that there was never any intention to bring down Stormont and all the threats and promises are just a charade to try to fool the electorate (again) that the DUP mean business and should be the lead unionist party.

Meanwhile one of his predecessors Mrs Foster has joined the board of Cooperation Ireland, I suppose this could be seen as a natural progression. What’s next I wonder? What is the Irish translation for Democratic Unionist Party?

Harry Patterson, Castlecaulfield

——— ———

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

With the coronavirus lockdowns having had a major impact on many of our advertisers — and consequently the revenue we receive — we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.

Subscribe to newsletter.co.uk and enjoy unlimited access to the best Northern Ireland and UK news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content.

Visit

https://www.newsletter.co.uk/subscriptions

now to sign up.

Our journalism costs money and we rely on advertising, print and digital revenues to help to support them. By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website.

Ben Lowry, Editor