ON THE eve of his standing down as DUP leader tonight, the Rev Ian Paisley allowed that Martin McGuinness was a “man of his word”, and that the best speech of the past remarkable year was delivered by his wife Eileen.
Dr Paisley also allowed that tonight’s farewell rally in the King’s Hall in Belfast will be an “emotional but good” night for him as he formally announces that he is handing over the DUP leadership to Peter Robinson after 37 years at the helm.
Dr Paisley is to remain as First Minister until next Thursday when Mr Robinson will succeed him in that position as well.
So, there is still First Minister business to do and part of that work yesterday involved speaking to a succession of reporters at his plush Stormont Castle offices yesterday.
On his desk was an omnipresent Bible, nearby on a table copies of The Irish Times, London Times and Irish News, some landscapes on the walls, and around the office memorabilia of his period of just over a year as First Minister.
He is confident of the future. “I don’t think my work is finished but this part of the work is done. Done very well,” he said.
“I am happy I am leaving a stable province behind. Peter Robinson, who was my deputy for years, has to make his name as the first minister, which no doubt he will do. There will be no change in the policy. He will carry out the same policy I carried out.”
David Trimble and Séamus Mallon were known as the “odd couple” but most people found it even odder that their DUP-Sinn Féin successors, the bitterest of adversaries, Paisley and McGuinness, could make powersharing work by force of pragmatism, personality and will.
Just how did it work?
“We had to be reconciled. I was the First Minister and he was the Deputy First Minister and if we were going to have any real say in the government of this country we had to work together. I said of course we can pull down the shutters and fight every day and have bloody noses but what good was that going to do for anybody,” he explained.
“We talked honestly. He made his position clear, I made my position clear,” added Dr Paisley.
“All I can say is that he kept his word to me. He is a man of his word, When we made a decision he didn’t back out of it. When I made a decision I didn’t back out of it.”
Generous words, especially when he knows unionist opponents of powersharing will throw them back in his face and in the faces of future DUP politicians seeking votes.
People are satisfied with the current political deal, Dr Paisley is certain. “I am going round this country and I know Northern Ireland better than anybody and I know what people are thinking.”
No generous words, though, even at this late hour, for David Trimble from the 82-year-old Dr Paisley.
He will not accept that he could not have taken the risks for peace that he did without Trimble first having taken even greater risks. “To take a risk is a different thing from doing wrong. He gave in.”
Who quite knows what the future will bring? More reading of the good book – “I love the rhythm of the authorised version”; more sermons; more writing; more general reading.
“Give me a second-hand book shop, a good cheque book and I’ll do very well”. (The Pilgrim’s Progress is his favourite book after the Bible) and more travel, perhaps even to the South. “I enjoyed those visits, I always visited the South.”
One of his best memories is of his wife Eileen delivering that impromptu speech – “a brilliant speech” – at the Battle of the Boyne site of her love of Northern Ireland and of all of Ireland and all of its people. He’s looking forward to her companionship.
“She’s the boss. I don’t make a decision without talking to her. We are a double gun . . . we shoot the same way. She supported me.”
