Mr & Mrs Robinson

[longrunsthefox]

According to the Tribune, Iris also had  affair with the buthcher boy's late father and with a DUP man back in the eighties. While I have zilch sympathy for her or Peter, I do have some for their three grown up children who are in their mid to late 30s. To find out your Mum of 60 is shagging a boy of 19 and all the publicity would be a nitemare.

[pintsofguinness]

According to the Tribune, Iris also had  affair with the buthcher boy's late father and with a DUP man back in the eighties. While I have zilch sympathy for her or Peter, I do have some for their three grown up children who are in their mid to late 30s. To find out your Mum of 60 is shagging a boy of 19 and all the publicity would be a nitemare.

and i'd say growing up in that house wouldnt have been a bundle of laughs either

[Archie Mitchell]

David Trimble now calling for Peter to stand down.

[gallsman]

Suzanne Breen was telling of the two sides of Iris Robinson. Went into detail about a set of "black lacy underwear" as well as ass the "sexy lingerie" she has...

[ziggysego]

Suzanne Breen was telling of the two sides of Iris Robinson. Went into detail about a set of "black lacy underwear" as well as ass the "sexy lingerie" she has...

Thank God I don't read the paper.

[pintsofguinness]

Suzanne Breen was telling of the two sides of Iris Robinson. Went into detail about a set of "black lacy underwear" as well as ass the "sexy lingerie" she has...

how does she know that?

[gallsman]

Suzanne Breen was telling of the two sides of Iris Robinson. Went into detail about a set of "black lacy underwear" as well as ass the "sexy lingerie" she has...

how does she know that?

She was given a tour of the house. When Breen's daughter was born, Iris gave her a present of a toy tea set from her "Auntie Iris."

[pintsofguinness]

Suzanne Breen was telling of the two sides of Iris Robinson. Went into detail about a set of "black lacy underwear" as well as ass the "sexy lingerie" she has...

how does she know that?

She was given a tour of the house. When Breen's daughter was born, Iris gave her a present of a toy tea set from her "Auntie Iris."

she gives people tours of the house and shows them her underwear?!

[gallsman]

Suzanne Breen was telling of the two sides of Iris Robinson. Went into detail about a set of "black lacy underwear" as well as ass the "sexy lingerie" she has...

how does she know that?

She was given a tour of the house. When Breen's daughter was born, Iris gave her a present of a toy tea set from her "Auntie Iris."

she gives people tours of the house and shows them her underwear?!

She likes to talk about style and fashion. She mentioned that Peter had a thousand ties and she had a similar number of bras. It was more a conversation between two women than a journalist and politician I think.

[orangeman]

Robinson has 'lost authority', says Trimble 

Lord Trimble said he expected Mr Robinson to step down soon
Former first minister and Ulster Unionist party leader David Trimble has said Peter Robinson can "no longer deliver" as first minister.

Speaking to the BBC, Lord Trimble said the DUP leader had "lost his authority within the party and the system".

"If he is going to fight to clear his name, then the place to do that is from the back benches," he said.
Mr Robinson is coming under increased political pressure over allegations about his wife's financial affairs.

Lord Trimble said he expected Mr Robinson to step down within the "next few days".

"To have a situation where a party leader sees his wife expelled from the party and acquiesces in it, doesn't even persuade the party to give her a decent way out, shows there has been a complete loss of authority," he said.

[pintsofguinness]

Suzanne Breen was telling of the two sides of Iris Robinson. Went into detail about a set of "black lacy underwear" as well as ass the "sexy lingerie" she has...

how does she know that?

She was given a tour of the house. When Breen's daughter was born, Iris gave her a present of a toy tea set from her "Auntie Iris."

she gives people tours of the house and shows them her underwear?!

She likes to talk about style and fashion. She mentioned that Peter had a thousand ties and she had a similar number of bras. It was more a conversation between two women than a journalist and politician I think.

Women tell each other about their underwear? Interesting..

anyway, I think it's a bit low of breen to put that in the paper.

[Evil Genius]

A mainstream unionist view?

The greatest fear evolving is that if an election is called the DUP will split to leave SF as the largest party and with first minister.

Though it changes with every successive revelation(!), my latest suspcion is that PR will somehow hang on as 1st Minister. I say that for three reasons.

First, any aspiring challengers within the DUP will be reluctant to strike, both because of any dirt he may be holding over them, but also because they know that they could be anihilated at the forthcoming Westminster elections (and any Stormont elections precipitated by the crisis). Second, the British and Irish Governments may protect PR, for fear that any successor will likely be even more hardline. Finally, SF may even want to keep PR in position for that reason, especially since PR will be easier to deal with now that he's weakened.

Of course, I could be entirely wrong about that, so that SF do, in fact, emerge as the biggest party and so get Art Garfunkle in as First Minister [sic - I somehow doubt they'll continue to try to use the moniker "Joint First Minister", which they've been trying to plant in peoples minds recently!).

And you know what? As a Unionist, I don't think that this would necessarily be such a bad thing - something I couldn't ever have imagined myself ever saying even a month ago!

Sure, it would give SF a popularity boost, as well as a propaganda coup. and they would no doubt use the Office to make mischief over a whole range of issues, both serious (eg Policing and Justice) and unimportant (eg Irish Language). But in the long run, it could even work out for the benefit of the Union.

I say this for three reasons. First, it would crucify the DUP, because they were the ones who swore to "smash Sinn Fein". Yet a SF 1st Minister could never have happened under the GFA (which required cross-community acceptance), until the DUP renegotiated at St. Andrews to give the Office to the leader of the largest party.

Second, the First Minister's chair could actually prove to be a "hot seat" rather than a throne for Wee Marty (and SF), for after the initial "warm glow" ahd worn off, it would be more evident than ever that far from leading everyone further down the road to a United Ireland, the GFA/SAA have in fact, only served to lock NI into the UK. And if SF cannot alter that fact, even when the largest Party and occupying the 1st Minister's chair, then even the most myopic of their supporters would be hard pushed to refute the charge that by their endorsement of Stormont, they are merely administering British Rule in Ireland. (In colonial times, this might have earned them the soubriquet of "House Boy", but in the Irish context, I guess that "Land Agent" would be a more appropriate term! 

Finally, with it at last being clearly established that the status of NI is not going to change by any method other than a referendum of all the people within NI (only), then moderate Unionists can drop the siege mentality, forget about the border, stop worrying about being "out-oranged" by hardliners and get down to "ordinary (i.e. right vs left) politics, like the rest of the UK (and Europe).

And on this last point, the present tentative steps towards merger between the UUP and Conservatives is a move in that direction. If the DUP were to be mortally wounded, so that the only alternative for Unionist voters were the dinosaurs of the TUV, then I feel that those small steps could become giant strides.

[Myles Na G.]

Agree with EG - at the moment, PR seems to be riding out (ooh...er..missus) the storm. That could change if: the investigation into his behaviour finds that he was in breach of one or two serious rules; the dirt on Iris keeps coming (ooh... you are awful!), particularly if the 'senior DUP' person with whom she was allegedly cavorting is outed; if Iris herself gets fed up with her new role as sinner in chief / town harlot which she's being cast in by the DUP and PR, and decides to go to the papers with her side of the story. With what she's privvy to over the years, there'd be more than just Peter running for cover.

[ziggysego]

in fact, emerge as the biggest party and so get Art Garfunkle in as First Minister [sic - I somehow doubt they'll continue to try to use the moniker "Joint First Minister", which they've been trying to plant in peoples minds recently!).

Ah now EG, you know as well as the rest of us that the Office of First and Deputy First Minister is equal is ever way. The title Deputy was added to placid some of the more hardcore Unionist. An ego boost if you wish. Since Ian Paisley Snr. Sinn Fein have been dropping the Deputy more, yes.

[Tots]

When is the next election then?

Surely there are some members of the DUP with morals who are ashamed and hurt by the ineptitude of their leader that want action done? they cant be all in it together, can they?