The DUP might opt to play a long St Andrews game rather than risk a UUP-style split, writes Dan Keenan, Northern News Editor
Members of the DUP are not used to many divisions within the ranks. Party conferences operate on a basis of unanimity on everything. Dissent is virtually unknown, votesvagainst the party top table are unheard of even at a token level. Questions about splits, factions and division are waved away with dismissive laughter.
Yet these days, the rumour is of unease within the party's ranks over the St Andrews Agreement and the possibility of sharing power with Sinn Féin in a mandatory coalition at Stormont.
Senior party figures are quick to point out that the St Andrews deal is between London and Dublin and no-one else - so far.
The leadership is presenting bits of the St Andrews accord as a better deal for unionists than the Belfast Agreement. Other, less palatable, bits are considered "work in progress" and are up for negotiation.
The DUP, like the others, has until next Friday (November 10th) to say if it is for or against the accord.
To that end, the leadership is consulting its grassroots at regional meetings to hear what they have to say about the stark choice: taking office alongside Martin McGuinness, or the governments' plan B - closure of Stormont and its replacement by more direct rule with Dublin input.
Remarks by Ian Paisley seem to indicate that when it comes to sharing executive office with Sinn Féin, the days of DUP unanimity are over.
"We had people who didn't see it the way we [ the leadership] saw it," the Big Man has admitted.
"Many of them said, 'well we trust you' and many of them got up and said, 'I came to this meeting prejudiced. I've heard what you had to say and I have no questions'. It has been a tremendous response," he told UTV, adding in a telling remark: "But you wouldn't want to be in politics without having some opposition." Opposition, yes. But not internal opposition.
Cllr John Finlay attended one such meeting near Ballymena and admitted: "A lot of people asked questions as they're entitled to do. There was no anger, but some people had their concerns. I think the leadership handled the meeting very well." He estimated that "the high 80s or 90 per cent were happy with what they heard", adding that no-one in the party supports the St Andrews deal as it stands and that changes "had to be nailed down" first.
Chris Stalford is, at 23, the youngest DUP councillor in Northern Ireland and works in the headquarters of MEP Jim Allister.
The meeting he attended "endorsed the leadership of the party" regarding St Andrews. But, like others, he was reluctant to elaborate on what went on.
Peter Robinson was asked recently about a meeting on the St Andrews deal in Galgorm, Co Antrim, in which one party stalwart took to his feet and allegedly announced he would rather pay the new, threatened water charges on top of his domestic rates than have Martin McGuinness in office with the DUP.
"Well, I would rather pay water rates than see Martin McGuinness in government but I didn't see that as one of the options that the government put forward," the deputy leader told Radio Ulster.
On the question of dissent, some of it from "Trimble blow-ins" - those who quit the UUP for the safe, uncompromising stance of the Democratic Unionists - Mr Robinson had this to say.
"There are people who have concerns, those people are amongst the leadership of our party. Ian Paisley has concerns, I have concerns and other officers have concerns. That's why we are saying there is no done deal, there are still issues to be resolved. We have been pushing those matters since we came out of St Andrews with the [ British] government."
Ruth Patterson, Belfast's deputy lord mayor, works well alongside SDLP First Citizen Pat McCarthy, and raised an occasional eyebrow recently when she attended a Foras na Gaeilge reception at City Hall.
She reflects a near-universal trust in her leadership's negotiating ability and it is this which fosters the "extremely positive" tone of the party consultation meetings.
But implicit in her thoughts is a clear idea that while a deal is desirable and possible - it is nowhere near imminent. "The people who spoke at our meeting were impressed by how much the talks team had achieved, they were aware how much needs to be done in order to build confidence," she said.
"We put our faith and trust in the leadership. That clearly came across at the meeting I was at. The mood was, 'we know you are not going to sell Northern Ireland short'." She denies any notion of "disruption or division" within the DUP. Questions from ordinary members on policy are common, she said, questioning the leadership's direction is not.
"We are doing a job on behalf of Northern Ireland and we will never sell the people short." No-one approached by The Irish Times felt bound by the governments' timetable. All of which seems to indicate that if the governments hope for a clear-cut indication of support for their St Andrews package next Friday, there is likely to be some disappointment in official circles.
The DUP appears neither ready nor willing to sound so certain so soon.