Ian Paisleys demise and NI

Gael23

Now that Ian Paisley has slipped off the mortal coil, what impact if any will be felt in the North?

Nodin

ryanf1 wrote: »

Now that Ian Paisley has slipped off the mortal coil, what impact if any will be felt in the North?

None. He was gone from political life at the time of his death and had been for a while. He was no longer head of the Free Presbyterian church either.

J Cheever Loophole

ryanf1 wrote: »

Now that Ian Paisley has slipped off the mortal coil, what impact if any will be felt in the North?

None I believe - a colossus of the political scene for fifty years or more but has been a peripheral figure in recent times - what is happening a few miles away from his fiefdom of North Antrim - just across the North Channel - will have much bigger repercussions.

meathstevie

Let's see; there'll be eulogies and a big funeral and a man who has been expert at sensing, sailing and modifying the currents of all but upper class Unionism will be gone forever.

To be brutally honest about it for about 80% of his public life the man has done nothing but holding back progress and fanning the fires of conflict probably having been indirectly responsible for quite some casualties.

What matters more though is what he has done in the final years of his political carreer. Once Dr Paisley realised and accepted that there is no way forward but cooperation and mutual respect he has given his all in his role of First Minister of the Stormont Executive in a surprisingly cordial and effective partnership with Martin McGuinness. At the same time Dr Paisley probably achieved his ultimate carreer goal of being the Nr1 man in the house on the hill and being the political leader of Unionism and credit to whom it's due used his position in a manner that benefited everyone in Northern Ireland.

One thing is certain; NI politics will never be the same and a big void has opened up for the vacancy of the figurehead of Unionism. Let's just hope that the Jim Allisters and Willy Frasers of this world don't feel too great an urge to try and fill it up with a load of shouting and chest thumping of the kind that attempts to turn back the clock a few decades.

mrsbyrne

Very wisely it has been announced that there will actually be no big funeral. It's to be entirely private with a memorial vaguely mooted for later in the year.

Gael23

Yes it is a wise and almost essential move for the funeral to be private. Although I imagine it will be impossible to keep it entirely secret so we can expect people burning the union jack and effigies of the Queen outside. As well as waving the Irish Flag

Fr Tod Umptious

I think the low key funeral may be a FP thing.

They tend to be light on ceremony, heavy on scripture

Esel

ryanf1 wrote: »

Yes it is a wise and almost essential move for the funeral to be private. Although I imagine it will be impossible to keep it entirely secret so we can expect people burning the tricolour and effigies of Gerry Adams outside. As well as waving the Union Flag

FYP

Nodin

Fr Tod Umptious wrote: »

I think the low key funeral may be a FP thing.

They tend to be light on ceremony, heavy on scripture

....think it's more of an FU thing, in that he was at odds with the DUP leadership who ousted him, and those who did likewise in the Free Presbyterian church. Neither him nor the family would have wanted them there.