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IAN PAISLEY TO STAND DOWN AS LEADER

Ian Paisley will stand down as DUP leader in May

Tuesday March 4,2008

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The Rev Ian Paisley has announced he is to quit as leader of the Democratic Unionist Party and First Minister in the Northern Ireland Assembly.

He confirmed his decision to go in May after mounting pressure from within his party in recent weeks to stand aside.

The 81-year-old First Minister, who will remain as an MP and Assembly member, will quit after an investment conference in Belfast organised by the Stormont power-sharing executive.

The veteran unionist leader said: "I came to this decision a few weeks ago when I was thinking very much about the conference and what was going to come after the conference. I thought that it would be a very appropriate time for me to bow out."

Following the announcement Prime Minister Gordon Brown paid tribute to Mr Paisley.

He said: "Ian Paisley has made a huge contribution to political life in Northern Ireland and the United Kingdom. The whole country values and admires the manner in which he has led as First Minister.

"His commitment and dedication to public service deserve our gratitude. Progress on bringing a lasting peace to Northern Ireland would not have been possible without his immense courage and leadership."

DUP deputy leader and Stormont Finance Minister Peter Robinson will be the early favourite to succeed Mr Paisley.

Party sources would also not discount Stormont Economy Minister Nigel Dodds.

Mr Paisley would not be drawn on who would succeed him stating: "This is not the Church of Rome."

IAN PAISLEY - MY ASSESSMENT

05.03.08, 12:28am

Ian Paisley claims to have resigned but there is no doubt in my mind that his former supporters have sacked him.

I used to respect Paisley’s strong principles but not any more. Something sinister happened a few years ago to make this former strong man of principle change his views. Paisley suddenly let down his fellow citizens. He led the Ulster Protestants into capitulating to the Irish Nationalists and he got nothing in return.

Paisley gave up too easily and he betrayed his own supporters.

The same phenomenon is occurring everywhere throughout Great Britain and we can all too clearly see that the collaborator Brown is betraying us all to the EU.

This is all part of the master plan to amalgamate us all into the soft cuddly EU regional structure so that we can all come under Brussels rule.

We elect our national leaders to defend our principles and fight for them if necessary. So, my question is why have all our politicians suddenly become weak and compliant? Why have all our leaders let us down in a big way? Why have they all stopped fighting? Who is making it worth their while to betray us? Who has the money? Whose accounts have not been signed off for years? Is the EU giving all our national leaders a big pay-off or giving them some other hidden benefit to pacify and betray their own people?

If we do not understand our so-called leaders’ motives, we should be questioning them hard. We must not let our leaders get away with treachery or it will be too late to get our country back. We must never give traitors the benefit of the doubt or they will betray us to suit the EU’s cosy agenda.

Paisley capitulated and he is paying the price. Brown and his henchmen should be next in line.

• Posted by: Peter_Pan • Report Comment

MR. PAISLEY'S CONVENIENT RETIREMENT

05.03.08, 12:01am

How convenient Mr. Paisley announces his retirement just as he is facing a House of Commons standards inquiry over Westminster-funded payments to his son (lasting 19 years) and a possible second inquiry into his lobbying on behalf of Seymour Sweeney’s Causeway plans, not to mention the use of public funds to pay the mortgage of his and his son's joint constituency offices which just so happened to be owned by his son's father-in-law. I trust you are still going to answer to the taxpayers regarding these matters, Mr. Paisley, retirement or no retirement, and Mr. Paisley Jnr. too, in spite of his recent convenient resignation. What are we, stupid?

• Posted by: Liz727 • Report Comment

PAISLEY HAS BEEN TOLD IT HAS BEEN TIME TO GO

04.03.08, 10:23pm

Mr Paisley has been ousted by his own party.He has taken a lot of the stick for the DUP after allowing Sinn Fein IRA to be joint partners in the goverment of Nothern Ireland after for many years seeking to destroy it.He will go down in history for allowing terrorists into the goverment of this part of the UK.After the Drumore by election the party have got worried by losing the seat and losing a lot of their voters after they were decieved by the DUP by so quickly jumping into bed with Sinn Fein IRA.The DUP do not only need a change of leader,but a change in policy.

• Posted by: ulsterman • Report Comment