Arlene is gone

[LookItsMeAgain]

DUP Leader Arlene Foster has resigned as First Minister of the Northern Ireland Assembly.

news.sky.com/story/arlene-foster-to-step-down-as-dup-leader-and-northern-irelands-first-minister-she-tells-sky-news-12289489

Looked like she had. On other options really.

If Poots is her replacement god help us!!

I wonder which homophobe they'll replace her with.

Quite worrying to think that Arlene was probably one of the more moderate heads in that party...who will replace her? I didn't like her but she seemed to have mellowed out a bit.

I didn't see this coming. It is a huge shock.

Yes she just wasn't conservative enough for them. Apparently the final straw was when she abstained from voting against a ban on 'conversion therapy'.

The DUP really are the representatives of the 18th century.

Hopefully this is the beginning of the end for the DUP. It's not like they have hoardes of competent people to choose from as the new leader. I can't abide Arlene but would prefer her to any of the options being mentioned by the media.

@MadeinBelfast

Hopefully this is the beginning of the end for the DUP. It's not like they have hoardes of competent people to choose from as the new leader. I can't abide Arlene but would prefer her to any of the options being mentioned by the media.

Loads and loads of people vote for them though. All the people that love "the union" and feel threatened by change.

I find this really worrying tbh. No fan of Arlene but I think she was the best of a bad bunch in terms of power sharing. I dread to think how much stalling and stupid games we’ll face now with whoever replaces her.

Absolutely dread to see who becomes the next leader, they will 100% go for someone ultra conservative.

Looks like Poots is the front runner. Also seeing report of possible election.

Urgh

I'm really surprised at the latest news that she is to leave the DUP as well as stepping down as First Minister and stepping back from politics and the reason given is that it's not the same DUP she joined.

Well you could knock me down with a feather. It's not the same as the one she joined??? Wasn't she the leader of the party since 2015?? She had a hand in changing the party to the one she is now leaving, surely??? How can you complain and say that you don't like the direction the party is going in if you were at the helm of the party while it was going in that direction?

Baffles me!