Ian Paisley jnr's resignation speech surprised with its dignity, writes Dan Keenan, Northern News Editor, but his detractors had a last few digs
NEVER KNOWN as a man to be short of words, Ian Paisley jnr took just 20 seconds to tell the Assembly formally that he was going.
The brevity of it all was surprising, but in a sense every sentence in his short statement was a gem.
He had been "proud to serve my country", he said. "I leave with high hopes, good spirit, deep humility and with gratefulness in my heart," he added with as much of a flourish as the script would allow.
The Paisleys are known better for standing their ground than resigning, so Ian jnr made sure he uttered his last ministerial comment with an uplifting tone.
Shunning the opportunity to strike out at his detractors, some of whom were no doubt sitting around him on the DUP benches, he simply said his bit and sat down promptly.
That was the signal for the Doc to take the stage for a rare emotional contribution to the Assembly record. He commended "my son Ian" for the hard work he did while in office.
"We wish him well in the future," he concluded in a statement which sounded long on profound regret but deprived of detail.
Onlookers wondered what that future might be while others considered how long it would be before there was an Executive with no Paisley in it at all.
Under the new Stormont dispensation's pecking order, Gerry Adams then stood to tell the house he recognised it was "sad for the member and his family". He credited the Paisleys for their role in restoring devolution but added, perhaps a little coldly, that the resignation served "to highlight the unacceptable behaviour of some parties and members in this assembly". That drew some dark mutterings from the unionist side.
Mark Durkan, continued the theme in his own way. "Pride comes before a fall," he said and he greeted the expression of humility as a sign of contrition - of sorts.
Alliance leader David Ford concurred, stating the resigning minister had "redeemed a little".
Sir Reg sat on his hands and avoided expressions of grief. This was a departure which was clearly being met with a dry eye and was only holding up discussion of the Taxis Bill.
A little later, Jeffrey Donaldson, the new junior minister, was hosting the fourth estate in his panelled office. Taking care not to provoke, he announced in his own diplomatic way that the days of chuckling diplomacy with Sinn Féin were numbered.
Relations with Sinn Féin would be "business-like" and no more.
Change is clearly afoot.