Word: robinson
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...scandal seemed ready-made for the British tabloids. First, Peter Robinson, the head of Northern Ireland's government, admitted that his 60-year-old wife Iris had embarked on an affair with a teenager two years ago. Then came the allegations that she had obtained $80,000 from two property developers to help her lover set up a café and that Peter Robinson, upon learning of the deal, failed to report it. Finally, following days of lurid headlines, the political fallout began...
...Peter Robinson announced that he would step aside as First Minister for six weeks, saying he needed "time to deal with family matters" and vowing to clear his name. The appropriately named Mrs. Robinson, a prominent politician in her own right, gave up her seats in the British Parliament and Northern Ireland Assembly and checked into a psychiatric hospital. But much more is at stake over the next six weeks than the couple's political careers: the scandal comes at a critical time for the province's shaky power-sharing agreement. For months, the two biggest parties in government, Robinson...
...coalition falls apart, that would also trigger new elections to the Assembly. And this may not be good for the DUP. Iris Robinson's affair has rocked the rural evangelicals who comprise the party's base, and may lead some to drift toward two smaller Protestant parties. A three-way split of the Protestant vote could give Sinn Fein the largest number of seats in the Assembly, causing the political process to grind to a halt. Such an outcome would also be a disaster for Robinson, who has steered the DUP away from its original firebrand populism to its current...
...Peter Robinson has said he will continue to negotiate with Sinn Fein during his six-week break. But a failure to reach a consensus could cause the fragile coalition to fall apart, which would trigger new elections to the Northern Ireland Assembly. And this may not be good for the DUP. The party's traditional base - rural Evangelical Protestants - has been rocked by Iris Robinson's affair, which may cause some voters to drift toward the anti-power-sharing Traditional Unionist Voice Party or the more moderate Ulster Unionist Party, which recently forged an alliance with the British Conservative Party...
...Protestant vote allowed Sinn Fein to emerge as Northern Ireland's biggest political party. That potential power swing and the inevitable friction between Sinn Fein and rival Unionist groups could see political progress grind to a halt. Such an outcome would also be a disaster for Peter Robinson, who for almost 30 years has carefully steered the DUP away from the firebrand populism of its founder, the Rev. Ian Paisley, to its current position at the top of Northern Irish politics. If he fails to clear his name over the next six weeks, it could mean the end not only...