He and the Orange Order prevailed at that first Drumcree, facing down the police by sheer strength of numbers and getting the march down the road. There are essentially two types of Unionist politician, those who are prepared to make a deal and those who want to make no deal Many used to place David Trimble in the latter category. The Trimble era began in 1995 when, as an MP of only five years’ standing, he joined the thousands of Orangemen at the barricades of the first Drumcree confrontation, protesting against a police ban on their march.The irony is that the politician who just yesterday graciously commended the RUC on richly deserving its George Cross was the same person who, in an Orange sash, made his name by hectoring police officers for stopping the parade. In Belfast, however, the dissenting tradition means that many believe critics have not just the right but the duty to speak out and give witness, in politics as in religion.The great fissure within Unionism, amid these myriad little fissures, centres on whether or not it is possible and desirable to do a deal with the other side: the Catholics, the nationalists and the republicans. In other words, Protestants value their right to dissent, prizing and constantly exercising the freedom of the individual conscience.

In political terms this translates into extraordinary freedom for party members to criticise and oppose leaders such as David Trimble.In other political cultures the actions of some of his opponents in the party would be denounced as traitorous back-stabbing. But about 50 of the religions seem to be variants of Protestantism. Eight of them have the word “Presbyterian” in their names, while a dozen or more proudly proclaim the Nonconformist tradition by styling themselves as Free, Independent, Non-subscribing or Reformed. An indication of why its decisions are sometimes difficult to call lies back in the dissenting tradition.The last Northern Ireland census detected more than 70 religions in Northern Ireland. Some of these are politically irrelevant, such as the 835 Muhammadans, the 69 Greek Orthodox and the four men and six women who say they follow Zoroaster. But if they don’t back him, or don’t support him strongly enough, then all will be uncertainty and limbo and near-despair.
The decision will be taken by the Ulster Unionist Council, whose 850 members have been described as the parliament of the Unionist party. On Saturday their party will meet in Belfast to decide the immediate fate of the peace process.

If they back David Trimble and the deal he worked out in nearly 300 hours of face-to-face talks with Gerry Adams, then everyone turns up at the assembly on Monday to elect a government. That is what is called having style in cricket.”There speaks the real Quentin Crisp.. WOLFE TONE, the founder of Irish republicanism, had a dream of uniting all Irishmen, whether they were Protestant, Catholic or Dissenter. That was two centuries ago, but a century is a short time in Irish politics. In the meantime, the Anglicans and the Presbyterians, to whom Tone was referring, have indeed united politically – as Ulster Unionists. However well they play they are miles from the spectators, who are not even close enough to recognise them after the match. I, on the other hand, who barely lift a finger during the entire game, am a familiar figure to the whole crowd.