Sir Jeffrey Donaldson reels from pillar to post in a state of denial.
Perhaps that just means that he accurately represents the state of unionism at present. If so, Donaldson’s personification of the state of unionism was perfectly demonstrated by the mess he made of his first meeting with the taoiseach last Friday.
Donaldson arrived in Dublin after issuing warnings to the Irish government about – guess what? – the protocol. A combination of arrogance and pomposity, he sounded and acted as if he represented the majority of something. Maybe he still believes that and lives in a time warp as well as in denial. The majority of people in the north don’t agree with him about the protocol or Brexit. The majority of people here don’t vote for the DUP or UUP. Unionists aren’t a majority in Stormont or Westminster. The majority of unionists now don’t support the DUP. It seems poor Donaldson hasn’t copped on to any of that.
Donaldson went on to blame Leo Varadkar for the protocol; “he insisted on it”, according to Donaldson. No one, not even his diminishing troop of voters believe that. They know the protocol isn’t Varadkar’s fault. Nevertheless, Donaldson appealed to Micheál Martin to do something about it. At least Donaldson is consistent. He has been hawking misleading information about borders and the single market around studios and in Westminster for five years now despite repeatedly being proved wrong. That’s why his voter numbers have been diminishing. The blame for the protocol lies with Donaldson’s DUP who blocked every effort Theresa May made to avoid a border in the Irish Sea. By summer 2019 that was the only option left and Donaldson and the DUP suckers supported Boris Johnson in that summer of 2019 believing him – Johnson! – when he misled them, then tossed them aside.
So, some humility ought to have been in evidence in the Dublin visit. Martin, ever keen to appease unionists, was fully aware of Donaldson’s weakness and desperation and politely rebuffed him. Only three days before the meeting in Dublin Donaldson had to admit he couldn’t persuade any DUP MLA to stand aside and let him into the assembly in order to give the limited and over-promoted Givan the heave-ho. Instead he opted for the catastrophic plan of standing against Poots and Givan in Lagan Valley. Talk about a weak leader?
What a horrible mess that’s going to produce. How to divide the constituency for transfers? How to guarantee the transfers will go as designed? Then the latest bombshell poll showed there won’t be/can’t be three DUP seats in Lagan Valley. Luckily that poll wasn’t public while Donaldson was laughably laying down the law, posturing as the leader of something in Dublin.
It was a ridiculous and futile exercise. Donaldson cut a pathetic and lonely figure, ignorant of realities as he has been since the DUP blindly seized Brexit as an opportunity to harden the British border in Ireland. Did he not read the statements Emmanuel Macron made the day before on his first official visit to Dublin? Macron, a rather more important figure than Donaldson you’ll agree, had said emphatically that the protocol must be fully implemented by the UK. He told the taoiseach that solidarity and unity was “an existential matter” for the EU and added, “To put it bluntly, we will never let you down.”
Then next day up pops the mighty Donaldson on behalf of his dwindling zombie party and tells Martin if he doesn’t do something about the protocol north-south relations can’t be normal. Like, it’s in his gift? The mouse that roared?
It’s long past time for Donaldson to cut his coat to according to his cloth. Donaldson’s behaviour and language demonstrate that he doesn’t realise unionists don’t own the north and haven’t for some years.
The time when unionists could say if we don’t like something we’ll stop it happening is long gone.
