The two parties that have dominated unionism in Northern Ireland for decades have replaced their leaders in the past week. In selecting Edwin Poots to succeed Arlene Foster, the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) has reverted to its religious conservative roots, opting for a man preoccupied with the battle on its right flank with Jim Allister’s insurgent Traditional Unionist Voice. He has a daunting task ahead of him, though the UUP’s decline in recent years has at least adjusted expectations. In Beattie’s favour is his relatively high profile, his clear political identity and his intuitive grasp of the fact that Northern Ireland is changing – and that its parties must change with it. Few will welcome the DUP’s rightward tilt as much as the UUP’s new leader.

Source: The Irish Times May 18, 2021 23:02 UTC