THE WEEK THAT WAS….
The past seven days were what you could describe as a ‘workmanlike’ session for the Assembly (although the equality police may object to such a description as discriminatory against both women and the work shy).
In the context of what, or rather what hasn’t the Assembly being doing for the past year, ‘workmanlike’ is praise indeed and shouldn’t be viewed in the same category of compliment such as “she has a lovely personality”. After months of limp activity, the Order Paper was a vibrant smorgasbord of Executive Business and topical debates on issues such as the future of the police full-time reserve (alright, so they’re evidently jam-packing as much in as possible before the summer recess, but let’s not let such cynicism dampen the mood).
At the head of the queue vying for the prize of the most over-worked Assembly Member is the quadruple jobbing, multiple hat wearing, soon-to-be Finance Minister, Cllr. Sammy Wilson MP MLA. After Peter Robinson plunged parliamentary sketch writers into panic by announcing that most double jobbing was going to end, there was concern that the straight talking, wise cracking, press office defying member for East Antrim might be lost to the Assembly.
The unmarried Mr. Wilson, who has no family commitments beyond his passion for carbon crunching bikes and cars has argued that if he wants to work himself to the bone that’s up to him. And why not?
While someone thought it might be a good idea to peddle the line that Mr. Wilson’s former employment as an economics teacher was the clincher that got him the Finance job (would running a Tufty Club qualify you to run Roads Service?), perhaps the most stressful problem facing the new Minister will be how to make DFP fun for the masses.
Sammy’s challenge is to put a smile on faces whilst cutting public services. That’s a tough gig. If he pulls it off he’ll be lauded as the DUP’s ‘Iron Chancellor’, if not, it’ll be back to the day job. Which day job though is anybody’s guess.
