Ian Paisley steps down

May 31 2008 by Andrew Baldwin, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

THERE’S been no-one in British politics quite like Ian Paisley over the past few decades.

Whatever your standpoint, there’s no doubting that he has made his very considerable presence felt.

Once famous for the catchphrase No Surrender, he has turned himself into Mr Bonhomie, laughing and joking with former IRA man Martin McGuinness.

It is a remarkable transformation which has saved Northern Ireland from the abyss.

As the 82-year-old steps down from the frontline, let us pay tribute to a change of heart that brought a peace process built by enemies talking to each other.

His successor Peter Robinson will be his own man. But he will realise the importance of maintaining peace and progress in a land where trouble was once the norm.