Jeffrey Donaldson’s stance on protocol is not about the DUP but about the survival of Union, says Peter Robinson

Writing in the News Letter, the former DUP leader warmly praises his successor’s recent speech, and says he knew it “would provoke a reaction”.

Mr Robinson dismisses the “bile in most of the reports” from “the DUP-haters in the media” who depict it as a threat from Sir Jeffrey to devolution.

The former first minister observes how “Sinn Fein who previously brought down the assembly and only a few months ago threatened to do it again unless they got their Irish language demands met, sought to lecture the DUP on how dangerous and foolish it would be to threaten the assembly’s existence”.

In his News Letter column, Mr Robinson adds: “Most democratic countries make provisions for consulting the electorate and Northern Ireland is no different.”

He says that commentators have missed the fact that an “election would not be about the DUP or party politics but the protocol and the survival of the Union”.

He adds: “It takes a special kind of political deceiver to argue that others should not think of doing what they have both done, and then later threatened to do again.”

Mr Robinson mocks the UUP plan to ‘lobby’ against the protocol and says it is good that Edward Carson did not take such an approach over Home Rule a century ago.

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