IN WILLOWFIELD parish church in east Belfast, the Church of Ireland bishop Harold Miller turned to the six candidates and told them bluntly: “You are all sinners.”
This was after Peter Robinson for the DUP, Trevor Ringland for the Ulster Unionists- Conservatives, Naomi Long of Alliance, David Vance of the Traditional Unionist Voice, Mary Muldoon of the SDLP and Niall Ó Donnghaile of Sinn Féin had spent more than two hours addressing the 160 local people in the audience.
Bishop Miller was not directing his comment at any one candidate and anyway he softened the blow with the comment, “none of us is perfect”. Perhaps though the First Minister and DUP leader felt the remark most keenly – certainly not because he would see himself as a greater sinner than anyone else in the church but because he probably feels “more sinned against than sinning”.
It’s been a gruelling year for the First Minister and DUP leader. The revelations about his wife Iris’s personal and financial affairs caused him personal hurt and possible political damage.
He has argued trenchantly that he derived no personal gain over a land deal involving a small strip of land at his home, but again all the publicity didn’t do him any favours.
An interview he gave the BBC before the election campaign did not serve his interests. He lost the rag, accusing the BBC of engaging in a conspiracy to undermine him.
Since the formal campaign began though, Robinson has been on surer ground, confident on radio and TV and here in this east Belfast church, arguing that the DUP could have a crucial role if there is a hung parliament.
Yet, Robinson and his adversaries know that if there were ever a chance to take his seat, this is it.
On this week 31 years ago, Peter Robinson won East Belfast for the first time in a famous three-way Westminster battle between the DUP, the Ulster Unionists and Alliance.
Be sure that that contest is very much on the minds of Robinson, Ringland, the former Irish rugby international, and Long, the Alliance lord mayor of Belfast.
Ringland and Long believe they can topple the First Minister. They would also suspect that the TUV’s David Vance – very much cut from the “no terrorists in government” cloth of his leader Jim Allister – would inflict some damage by mopping up the hardline vote that traditionally went Robinson’s way.
The problem however for Ringland and Long is that so far, neither has established himself or herself as the chief challenger – from their perspective, the danger is that they could cancel each other out.
It would be the shock of the election were Robinson to lose.
