Jeffrey Donaldson

[Cafog]

Is there a thread yet that I haven't found? Shocked to hear this news this morning about the recently knighted MP and leader of the DUP being charged with historical sex offences along with his wife. And disgusted at all those in a froth on social media who haven't even spared a thought for his potential victims.

What do Iris and Peter Robinson even do these days? They left politics years ago ? I never hear about them anymore. Well, you would occasionally hear that Peter has written something in a news paper column about key political things but I absolutely haven’t heard a thing about Iris.

Sir Jeffrey Donaldson was chair of the Lords and Commons Family and Child Protection Group.

https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/education/dups-donaldson-to-chair-westminster-briefing-with-minister-who-branded-lgbt-education-state-sponsored-abuse/38992248.html

The DUP leader chaired a parliament briefing with a church minister who claimed education on LGBT issues in schools was "state-sponsored abuse" and compared the push to introduce topics into the classroom to Nazism.

Yep. Hiding in plain sight.

You are probably right. Just sad in one way that our little part of the UK means so little to our compatriots.

I saw her once many years ago in M&S in Sprucefield 🙄

I saw her once many years ago in M&S in Sprucefield 🙄

Ha! So did I😆😆

You are probably right. Just sad in one way that our little part of the UK means so little to our compatriots.

Not at all. I'm following and reading and googling. I'm just not commenting because I don't want to add anything that's meaningless and I don't/didn't want to encourage idle speculation and risk this thread being pulled. I imagine that there are lots of us doing the same and I imagine that there's lots that people want to say.

How long will it take to reach the courtroom? The sooner the better I suppose.

Jess Phillips has commented about him still being allowed access to Westminster, so it might make others more aware of him & the situation currently unfolding.

I saw Arlene in M&S Sprucefield once 🤣

We saw Arlene at the Lough Erne once. We were there for the wedding of an Alliance councillor and all their big wigs were attending (I avoided making a fool of myself in front of Anna Lo and Naomi Long, but only just). It was during one of the shut downs and relations didn't appear friendly, to the public at least. Always wondered if Arlene got the heads up and scarpered or if there was an awkward encounter.

I never saw Arlene or Iris, but I sat across the lunch table from Jeffrey once, getting on for 30 years ago. The years have not been kind to him.

Actually, not fair to blame the years.

Back then he and Daniel O'Donnell looked enough alike that I wondered about a far-distant Dal Riada common Ó Dónaill ancestor. Nowadays you can easily tell which of them has spent the intervening decades singing and smiling and which of them has been saying 'no'. We earn our faces.

We earn our faces.

I am taking that as a personal insult.

But all that smiling and being generous and calm and happy had made you so beautiful Colleen.

No

No

Put that down

You know me so well

Wee Daniel has had work done.

I wouldn't be surprised if Jeffery has, too, he gave the impression of being a very vain man, sitting there in his silk tie with his tiny tight little mouth.

It is only now occurring to me that none of the other men who surged into the Belfast Central Mission cafe on Glengall Street that day wanted to sit with him. At the time I was just wondering why V was pointedly turning the conversation in the direction of the most distressing aspects of the Black Death, and the relative health of Irish Gaelic settlements compared with the English-dominated towns. I just happy to dive into rats and fleas and buboes, always fun.

O Dónaill . God yes I suppose many Donaldsons stem from that family. Or MacDonnell / MacDonald I suppose. Wouldn't it be weird if people like Sammy Wilson went on 23andme and found they were related to Red Hugh. Or....the Pope 😱

Wouldn't it be weird if people like Sammy Wilson went on 23andme and found they were related to Red Hugh. Or....the Pope 😱

That would make me strangely euphoric🤣🤣

There was a fantastic documentary on quite a number of years ago about names in NI. The obvious one they picked up on was Martin McGuinness and Ken Maginnis - surely a common ancestor there. There was also mention of the name Adams being of English and Scottish origin, so possibly a planter or two lurking there!

DS1 got a selfie with Jeffery a couple of weeks ago.

Eeek @TooBigForMyBoots .Well I guess it is a bit of history.

Yes Hume and Adams are lowland Scots names. On the Unionist side you have people like the McGimpseys and Danny Kennedy. Genealogy is fun. We shouldn't invest too much in it though.

I'm happy to be descended from Lucy the Hominid.

Like Poots.

Did anyone see the photo of his wife at their daughter's wedding all dressed in white?! Not bridal at all but very definitely white.

How odd. Very little about her on social media or the other daughter