TONY Blair has said unionism needs a leader of David Trimble's courageousness to face down opposition to the Windsor Framework and restore the Stormont institutions.
The former British prime minister and co-signatory of the Good Friday Agreement told The Irish News of his hopes that Sir Jeffrey Donaldson will "find a way of pulling his people along".
The DUP leader famously walked out at the eleventh hour on the negotiations thzat led to the 1998 accord. The then Ulster Unionist leader David Trimble, who would later be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize alongside his SDLP counterpart John Hume, faced bitter criticism both internally and from the DUP over his support for the agreement. Sir Jeffrey resigned the UUP whip in 2003 before defecting to the DUP.
In an interview to mark the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, Mr Blair said February's revised protocol deal between the EU and UK meant "there'll be a big test for political leadership in these coming months to get the executive up and running again".
Asked if unionism in its current predicament needed a leader of the late Lord Trimble's courageousness, the ex-Labour leader said historically there were always figures seeking to undermine political compromise.
"The problem had always been, just by my assessment as a outsider to unionist politics, is that there has always been a deep feeling of distrust within the unionist community, not least towards the UK government," he said.
"And there's always going to be people who can play on that within the unionist community, there'll always be someone who's shouting betrayal – that's just the nature of the politics."
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Mr Blair said political leaders should be "prepared to say to their supporters things that they don't want to hear and not simply things that they do want to hear".
"That's always the test of leadership but I think Jeffrey Donaldson wants to do the best, not just for the unionist community but for Northern Ireland, and I hope he finds a way of pulling his people along with it," he said.
The DUP has yet to endorse or fully reject the Windsor Framework, though a number of its MPs have been publicly critical of the revised post-Brexit trade arrangements.
A consultative panel to gauge opinion on the framework, headed by former DUP leader Peter Robinson, delivered its report to Sir Jeffrey last week.
Senator George Mitchell, who chaired the negotiations that led to the 1998 accord, said the north’s political leaders needed to demonstrate the same courage as their predecessors.
In a video address on Friday, he said "It is now up to the current leaders of Northern Ireland, of the United Kingdom, of Ireland, to act with the same courage and vision as did their predecessors 25 years ago.
"Current leaders can and must do whatever is necessary to preserve peace, to restore self-government to Northern Ireland, to ensure for those they represent freedom, hope and opportunity for all."
Former taoiseach Bertie Ahern told the Stormont ceremony it was not fair to the people of Northern Ireland that some institutions of the Good Friday Agreement are not currently working.
Brid Rodgers speaks to The Irish News to mark 25 years since the Good Friday Agreement
Reg Empey speaks to The Irish News to mark 25 years since the Good Friday Agreement
Gerry Adams speaks to The Irish News to mark 25 years since the Good Friday Agreement
