Good Constituency Work or the Whiff of Sleaze?
Jim Allister called it a "bombshell". Ian Paisley Junior termed it a "damp squib". Certainly the letter, revealed under Freedom of Information, from David Hanson listing 6 North Antrim related issues raised by Ian Jr. on the day of St Andrews' Agreement has refocussed attention on the Giants' Causeway, Ballee and related matters.
Ian Junior is bullish, claiming he is just an assiduous constituency MLA. In a previous clip, repeated on last night's BBC Newsline, he said he didn't mind using the "L" word (for lobbying) about the North West 200. But this morning the SDLP leader Mark Durkan used the "S" word (for sleaze), claiming the whiff of sleaze had been injected into the air and this is something both Ian Jr. and the DUP have to address.
With the junior minister enjoying the unswerving support of the most powerful politician in Northern Ireland, his father and First Minister, this may be just another storm in the media teacup. But the indications last night from some other DUP negotiators that they were unsighted on and angry about the North Antrim lobbying provoked an apology from Ian Jr. for any embarrassment which might have been caused.
It seems to me that the mood amongst Ian Jr.'s fellow DUP members will be crucial to how this pans out. Clearly other parties engaged in side deals, such as David Trimble seeking knighthoods for his supporters or Sinn Fein looking for concessions on On the Runs or the Irish language. At St Andrews, everyone was well aware that DUP negotiators were looking for concessions on academic selection and the rates. So is this more of the same or something different?
I'm 
