Surprise at Patterson's defection to DUP

I will be honest and say it was a surprise as when he was co-opted I recall an interview he did on The View where he said he was “against unionist unity”. I do wonder what has changed?

His statement was all about Arlene Foster and demonising Mike Nesbitt, for reasons that I don’t believe are fair as no party SDLP/Alliance/Green were able to achieve respectable concessions in the Programme for Government.

The demonisation of Mike Nesbitt gives me the indication that the DUP edited Mr Patterson’s statement.

Also I do raise concern with his idea that the UUP’s national and local decisions disappointed him when just under a month ago he happily stood under the UUP banner and asked people to vote for him. I doubt much has changed in that period within the party.

Is his departure from the UUP more an act of revenge against his failure to campaign to hold his own seat?

Dominic O’Kane, Politics Student, 19, Cookstown