The DUP dithered over its decision not to attend the inauguration of President Catherine Connolly – a fact at least as interesting as the snub itself, confirming concerns raised across the political spectrum about the party’s internal dysfunction.
Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly received her invitation on Tuesday of last week. Media queries as to whether she would attend were ignored until last Friday, when Little-Pengelly explained she had Remembrance Day engagements at Stormont and Windsor Castle. It took until Sunday for the party to confirm it would not send anyone else.
The invitation was hardly a surprise, nor was President Connolly’s election. The DUP could have prepared a line for it months ago.
The diary clash with Remembrance Day has occurred with every inauguration since 1997. The last time it affected a DUP first minister was in 2011, when Peter Robinson – then also party leader – still managed to attend the inauguration of Michael D Higgins.
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It seems clear the DUP could not explain its intentions this time around because it was still debating them.
Important decisions in the party are taken by its 12-member officer board, comprising leader Gavin Robinson MP, plus other prominent MPs, peers and assembly members. Although Little-Pengelly is on the board, she seems to have little luck swaying or hastening its deliberations. This is a matter of increasing frustration to other Stormont parties, as it holds up business across the executive.
Michelle O’Neill, the Sinn Féin First Minister, made her exasperation plain in August. “I’m proud of a lot of the initiatives and work that my ministerial team are doing, but I command that ship. I make the decisions. I just don’t think that is the same across the board,” she told the Belfast Telegraph.
Sinn Féin is also a party run by a committee. O’Neill’s real complaint was that the DUP ship now turns too slowly and unpredictably – not that it has too many hands on the tiller.
The DUP’s growing indecision seems to be more a case of self-doubt than infighting – understandable after the setbacks it has suffered in recent years. The party has finally settled on a view that it should move to the right in response to the Traditional Unionist Voice. Even for unionists who agree with this approach, the poor quality of the DUP’s decision-making should be a concern.
Dithering over the inauguration has offended nationalists, embarrassed moderate unionists, yet left hardline unionists unsatisfied with its stalling and excuse-making. It looks like an insult designed by a committee.
On the BBC last Thursday, a DUP MLA said the party had problems with the “direction” of the Irish presidency and referred to then president Higgins declining to attend a centenary service for Northern Ireland in 2021.
Connolly is not Higgins, however. She may share his opinions but we do not know if she will share his propensity to declare them while in office.
Reflecting on the difference between male and female egos suggests she may not. Perhaps Little-Pengelly has reflected on this already, while sitting through an officer board meeting.
In any case, the correct way to have a parting jibe at Higgins would be to sweetly express the hope that Connolly will be an improvement.
Some stauncher unionists are openly welcoming the possibility that Connolly’s tenure will damage Irish-American relations and the Republic’s economy.
They consider this payback for Ireland’s approach to Brexit, when Irish-Americans were wheeled out to threaten the British economy.
While that period of history deserves reappraisal, it is foolish to wish for revenge. The United States is never going to fall out disastrously with Ireland or the UK – it is too close to both. Presidents Connolly and Trump may even get along. It is easy to imagine a meeting where she observes the diplomatic niceties and he describes her as a very nice lady.
If the DUP foresees unionism will have problems with President Connolly, the time to play that card is when problems arise. It has squandered that option.
One cynical reason unionists might want to be civil to the new president is the possibility she could fall out with Sinn Féin.
A party famed for its control-freakery has handcuffed itself to a politician it does not control for the next seven or possibly 14 years. The chance of this passing smoothly must be close to zero. The DUP could be standing cheerfully beside Connolly, waiting to tut-tut at Sinn Féin. That opportunity has been squandered as well.
Many observers have contrasted the DUP’s conduct over the past week with Robinson’s diplomacy in 2011. There is an equally telling contrast with the late Ian Paisley, who would have snubbed an inauguration firmly and immediately, had he judged a snub useful.
Taking a week to claim the whole party has other engagements just looks so sleekit, to use the Ulster Scots expression.
