This week marks the beginning of a new chapter in Northern Ireland politics, with Arlene Foster replacing Peter Robinson as First Minister. While Foster is the first female, and youngest politician ever to hold the office, her rise to the top has been more about her strength of character, and steely determination to get the job done. Her appointment as DUP leader, and now First Minister is all the more remarkable, as a former Ulster Unionist who has only been in the ranks of the DUP for 12 years.
What this will mean for the functioning of the Northern Ireland Executive is the big question on everybody’s lips.
It’s worth remembering the office of First Minister, now occupied by Arlene Foster, is a joint office, shared equally with Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness. The importance of that personal relationship of the holders of the joint office will be absolutely crucial in determining the effectiveness of devolution here.
We’ve witnessed the Paisley-McGuinness era, where positive relations between FM/DFM took everyone by surprise, seeing the pair labelled the ‘chuckle brothers’. When Robinson ousted Paisley, relations with McGuinness were more frosty, and often characterised by the Executive not meeting for months on end, and ultimately the Executive being described as ‘dysfunctional’ by Robinson himself -hence, the need for a fresh talks process.
Arlene Foster brings a CV full of political accomplishment and ministerial experience, having served in the Executive since 2007 in key roles -including as Environment Minister, Enterprise Minister and most recently at Finance. She has already ‘steadied the ship’, having acted as First Minister on two brief occasions. She has built a strong reputation for getting things done. With the prize of lower corporation tax dangling within the Executive’s grasp, and knowing the eyes of the business community - and the wider public - are watching, Foster means business.
The First Minister has laid out her vision to not allow the past to deny future prosperity. She has spoken of transforming the political and economic landscape here, and of making Northern Ireland prosper. The recent Fresh Start Agreement between the DUP, Sinn Féin and the British and Irish Governments, ratified in November has created the settlement needed to make that vision a reality.
The DUP know they have less than five months to demonstrate ‘good government’, and to try to restore public faith in devolved government, that was so damaged in recent months over their ‘in-out’ policy to taking their Ministerial portfolios. Without doubt, Foster is the right person to ensure the Executive gets down to the business of delivering for the people of Northern Ireland. This week’s reshuffle of DUP Executive ministers also shows she is keen to surround herself with experience to deliver change in challenging circumstances.
Challenges and opportunities will be aplenty for Foster in 2016: politically, economically and socially. As well as elections on both sides of the Irish border, the coming months will witness significant centenaries commemorated. All the while, the impending UK referendum over EU membership will draw ever closer, posing potential consequences bigger than any vote ever held across these islands.
While 2015 may best be forgotten for political progress, 2016 has kicked off with a greater degree of optimism than we’ve seen in a long time. It’s the future, stupid, for Foster. It’s political leadership, the economy, foreign direct investment and job creation that will deliver a better Northern Ireland, and that might just deliver the good government we’ve been promised for so long.