An unknown Apprentice Boy, David Hoey, from Co Derry, is to challenge Ulster Unionist party leader, former first minister, MP, MLA, one-time hero of Drumcree and Nobel peace prize winner, David Trimble. The confrontation is set for next Saturday when Trimble has to stand for re-election as party leader.
The Apprentice Boys shut the gates of Derry in 1689 against the besieging catholic forces of King James, expelled the city's catholics, and later furiously expelled Lundy for having suggested "a timely capitulation." His name has become a unionist by word for treachery. Trimble is just the most recent UUP leader to be so designated by the forces of "No Surrender".
Hoey has no personal ambition in this – he once ran for selection as a UUP candidate and got one vote. He isn't even one of the 860 delegates to the UUC. Behind him stand the old guard – including Lord Jim Molyneaux, who knows about the stalking horse tactic because it is how he was destablised as leader in 1995. Back then, Trimble was chosen as his replacement because of his hardline stance at Drumcree, symbolized by the victory dance with DUP leader the Reverend Ian Paisley.
David Burnside, who recently made his first popular remark when he said he was too arrogant to be party leader himself, is regarded as the chief architect of this heave. Hoey used to work for him. He wants "a new united leadership" and his plan appears to be that Reg Empey would take over as leader of the UUP's assembly group, while he would himself lead the party's Westminster group, all five of them. Lady Sylvia Hermon, MP for North Down has already indicated that she would not serve such a leadership.
Longer term, Burnside wants a "united unionism", no less than a merger of the DUP and the UUP. "That would be post Paisley and post Trimble, " he said. "Both of them are divisive forces in unionism." Over in the DUP, Jeffrey Donaldson is staying silent on that one. He can't talk about the new boss the way he used to talk about the old one.
Empey, who sees himself as a gentleman, refused to challenge Trimble directly. However, he has lately offered no support and stayed silently at home while Trimble went off to the US to drown the shamrock.(If only). The new "dream team" of Empey and Burnside would certainly move into an anti-agreement position, though Burnside insists that we have moved beyond that now. "The agreement is over and past and has failed," he said.
Trimble has been trying to regain some macho credit. Intemperate speeches abroad, and his oldest stunt, marching out of the review in protest at Sinn Féin's continuing participation. But it hasn't cut much ice. His friends in the party think he will survive the challenge next weekend. One leading anti Trimble UUC delegate agreed. "The whole party is a shambles and it is collapsing round us, but I think Trimble will come through," he said.
"The alliance against him is just incoherent," said one senior Trimble ally. "It is an unholy alliance. Reg is to the left of Trimble and Burnside is to the right. What would the policy be?" Martin Smyth, unkindly referred to as a "stalking donkey" challenged Trimble and got 43% - the new challenger needs more. Trimble, meanwhile, is, according to one of his allies, "just out for a win". Afterwards, recent history shows, the struggle to bring him down will continue.
