euro|topics - Ian Paisley's mixed legacy

Main focus of Thursday, March 6, 2008

Ian Paisley's mixed legacy

The protestant leader Ian Paisley announced on Tuesday, March 4th, that he is to stand down in May as leader of the DUP (Democratic Unionist Party) and as First Minister of Northern Ireland, after a year of power-sharing with Sinn Fein's Catholic Martin McGuiness. The European press ponders the paradoxes of this famously intransigent politician.

Belfast Telegraph - United Kingdom

The Northern Irish daily looks back on Ian Paisley's careeer: "Ian Paisley is a big man but he cast an even bigger shadow over politics for 40 years. His bulk, his rip-roaring oratory and his constant opposition to any changes in the governance or status of Northern Ireland made him a constant thorn in the side of other unionist leaders with more liberal tendencies. He was often derided for his unswerving stance but there is no doubt that he could feel the heartbeat of fundamental unionism. He played on the anxieties of unionists like a virtuoso, articulating their almost primeval fears of sell-out like no other modern day politician. ... When he finally achieved his lifetime ambition to lead the largest unionist party in 2003, he set the stage for the unlikeliest conversion since Paul on the road to Damascus. No other unionist leader could have sold the DUP and Sinn Fein effectively forming a coalition government." (05/03/2008)

The Irish Times - Ireland

"Is Ian Paisley a product of bad history and troubled times in Northern Ireland or a primary cause and net contributor?" asks the Irish daily. "The debate about the retiring DUP leader's legacy is only just beginning as politicians across these islands weigh the implications of his dramatic resignation statement. In Catholic, nationalist Ireland - as in Protestant, unionist Ulster -it will continue long after Dr Paisley's departure as First Minister in May. No assessment will be complete without regard to the dangerous mix of politics and religion that characterised the Paisley name for so long. Demagogue or ultimate democrat? Man of God or of hate? ... This debate is found at its most acute in the loyalist heartlands where Dr Paisley once reigned supreme as self-appointed defender of Ulster Protestantism against an alleged conspiracy inspired by the Vatican, aided by the ecumenical movement, and executed by the IRA." (06/03/2008)

Der Tagesspiegel - Germany

"The not entirely voluntary resignation of Northern Ireland's head of government, Ian Paisley, raises interesting questions about the power of individuals to shape historical processes," Martin Alioth writes. "Because Paisley, the contrary spirit who always said no, didn't create the destructive emotions that divided Northern Ireland for almost forty years out of nothing. ... The long duration of this conflict would have been practically unthinkable without this troublemaker in his cassock. It may seem appalling that this man now wants to go down in history as a courageous peacemaker, but as everybody knows, every story is defined by its ending." (06/03/2008)

Le Temps - Switzerland

Eric Albert, the daily's UK correspondent, does not believe that "Ian Paisley's resignation from his post as co-First-Minister of Northern Ireland will increase tension between Unionists and Republicans. Paradoxically, the man who was the most radical Unionists' flag-waver has now become the best guarantor of long-term power-sharing. ... A worst case scenario is not however inevitable. For one thing, nobody is really thinking about questioning the power-sharing agreement. Furthermore, Peter Robinson, Northern Ireland's current finance minister, is most likely to become Ian Paisley's successor. The man is reputedly pragmatic, and was long-considered the leader of the DUP's moderate wing. But he will nonetheless have to manage to stand up to the hard-liners in his party.” (06/03/2008)

» To the complete press review of Thursday, March 6, 2008

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