‘I will never pretend to be perfect’, says DUP leader

Since 2015, it has not always been the easiest of jobs, with controversy and division within the political arena.

For three years, the Assembly did not exist due to the fall-out over the RHI/’cash for ash’ scandal.

When it returned in January, little did the people of Northern Ireland know of how it would be affected by the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

Then there is the matter of Brexit – one of the most politically divisive referendums in history, and a result that even at this very late stage, just weeks before the UK exits the EU, there is much uncertainty about what Brexit means for Northern Ireland.

On her fifth anniversary, we asked the First Minister about the past five years in office from both a personal perspective and a political one, including about topics such as the RHI scandal, looming Brexit, the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, and what her hopes are for the future.

YOU have been the most powerful woman in Northern Ireland for the past five years, and there have been a lot of ups and downs in that time. How would you sum up your time as leader of the DUP so far?

It’s fair to say that it has been an eventful and momentous time since [becoming leader of the party].

It has been a period during which the DUP has never been more prominent in the life of the United Kingdom, but the return of devolution earlier this year stands as one of the most significant events too of the entire period.

ALONG with Michelle O’Neill, Naomi Long and Claire Bailey, you are the leaders of your respective parties, while Diane Dodds, Nichola Mallon are on the Executive. Are politics in NI going in the right direction in terms of gender equality and representation?

Yes, absolutely I believe we are moving in the right direction. Including the Junior Ministers, the Executive has six men and six women around the table.

There are fantastic women at every level of the DUP, and I want to see that continue.

We have some fantastic young women who are councillors, for example, in the DUP, and I fully expect that many of them will come forward and represent the party either in the Assembly or at Westminster.

DO YOU find it challenging to be a leader?

I suspect if you don’t find it challenging, then you aren’t doing your job. Leadership by its very nature involves making difficult choices. It is in those difficult times, however, that you will often become aware of just how important those decisions and choices are.

The Covid-19 pandemic has undoubtedly been one of the biggest challenges to be faced by the devolved institutions in Northern Ireland.

I take my role in leading the Executive and Northern Ireland as a whole very seriously, and the past few months have brought forward huge decisions to which there simply is no right answer.

We have been faced with the immediate challenge of a virus which we know has robbed far too many families of their loved ones. Decisions taken to curb that virus, however, also bring with them huge consequences – not just for the economy, but in dealing with other healthcare issues and for wider society.

As an Executive we faced and continue to face a situation where there is no perfect solution. All too often we’re trying to find the ‘least worst’ outcome and striking the best balance possible.

It is right that people should challenge those of us in positions of leadership about the decisions we take, though.

Ultimately, leadership is about the people who have put you into that position, and it is making a difference for people which makes it all worthwhile.

DO YOU find it difficult to switch roles from being ‘First Minister, Arlene Foster, leader of the DUP’ to ‘mum of three, Arlene, from Fermanagh’? Is it hard for you to unwind?

Coming home sometimes it is not so much unwinding as coming down to earth with a bump! If you come through the door and you are greeted with a rugby kit which needs to be washed, it’s very difficult to have any pretentions about yourself.

My family are a fantastic support to me, and I simply couldn’t do it without them. When I’m at home I can unwind, and I’m definitely looking forward to having the chance to watch the latest series of The Crown.

I’ve always said, too, that I’m blessed by where I live. The people of Fermanagh too are fantastic and it’s lovely to be part of a community where people know you’re exactly the same person they saw when you were growing up.

WITH the way everything has played out since the Brexit Referendum in 2016, and the upcoming creation of a border down the Irish Sea, do you have any regrets in backing Brexit? A no-deal Brexit is a firm possibility – what sort of consequences would that have for Northern Ireland?

The decision to leave the European Union was one taken by the people of the United Kingdom as a whole. I voted to Leave, and I don’t regret that.

The issues we face now were not an inevitable outcome of Brexit. I can say that because there was agreement reached between the UK and EU as far back as December, 2017, that no new regulatory barriers would be placed between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK unless they were agreed by the Assembly and the Executive.

That same agreement recognised that unfettered access for Northern Ireland businesses to the UK internal market would be continued “in all circumstances”.

I am very happy to state that I do not want, and have never argued for, the erection of any new border between Northern Ireland and the Republic.

All I ask is that the Belfast Agreement be honoured and, indeed, the agreement between the UK and EU is honoured, and that no new border is created within the UK.

The DUP has always supported an agreed outcome between the UK and the EU. That is by far the best outcome for Northern Ireland.

A deal may not be struck until the very last minute, however. The history of EU negotiations would tend to suggest that will be the case.

We know all too well, however, that any deal requires goodwill and effort on both sides. Whilst there has been plenty of scrutiny about the UK government’s intentions, the same can’t be said of the EU.

GIVEN Enniskillen’s role as a key cross-Border trade town, what advice have you for local businesses and ordinary people just weeks out from Brexit, particularly as there are still many difficulties and unresolved issues in the ongoing talks? Could Enniskillen and Fermanagh businesses be in for a shock from January 1, if talks continue on their current, difficult path?

I can say that, locally, as an Executive we will continue to do whatever possible to ensure the best outcome for local businesses.

Just recently, as First Minister and Deputy First Minister, Michelle O’Neill and I wrote to the EU Commission making it clear that threats to Northern Ireland’s food supplies are unacceptable.

It isn’t credible or a demonstration of the good faith promised by the EU to maintain a position that major supermarket chains could not be trusted to send goods to Northern Ireland, only to be sold in Northern Ireland.

No-one credibly believes that baked beans brought into Northern Ireland by ASDA, to be sold in Enniskillen, pose any risk to the EU single market, yet that effectively is the position which the EU has continued to hold.

For all the focus on the actions of the UK government, it is perfectly clear that the EU has been prepared to use Northern Ireland as a bargaining chip in negotiations.

AS FOR the RHI scandal – often referred to as ‘cash for ash’ – the results of an investigation found that there was no corruption in that process, but what lessons have you learned throughout the whole RHI scandal and inquiry?

I’ve said quite a few times before now that I recognise that mistakes were made. Where things could have been done differently, or to paraphrase Her Majesty, where things “would have been better said differently, or not at all”.

Lessons have been learned over the past few years. It is never easy to govern within a multi-party coalition, but the operation of the Executive and of the Government is different now to how it was some years ago. We must always strive to do better, and seek improvements wherever we can.

People want us to learn from what has happened, and use it to look forward and build a better Northern Ireland.

I will never pretend to be perfect, but I hope that people can see that my motivation is to do what is right and to do it for the right reasons.

There are always disagreements, but I hope that we can continue to learn to disagree well.

THE RHI scandal caused the collapse of Stormont. How much of an impact did the lack of government have for the people of Northern Ireland?

The fact that Northern Ireland was deprived of local decision-making for three years was hugely damaging for everyone here.

We are all so indebted to our NHS, but three years were lost where the Assembly could have been taking forward the reform process, which is so vital to the future of healthcare here.

I think, too, of the issue of abortion which was taken forward and imposed by Westminster, even after devolution was returned.

Abortion is a hugely sensitive issue, and it is one which should have been taken forward by local parties.

As it is, we continue to work towards amending that legislation alongside other colleagues in the Assembly, but it should have been introduced by local ministers, reflecting the views of the local parties.

CONSIDERING Covid-19, have the actions of some political representatives – such as Sinn Fein at the Bobby Storey funeral, and comments from Sammy Wilson – undermined the effort of the rest of the Government in fighting the virus?

As elected representatives, we do have a duty to demonstrate leadership to the wider public.

I am very conscious that the restrictions which have been imposed are extremely onerous; they intrude not just into the ability of businesses to trade, but into family life.

People who are prevented from visiting their parents or grandparents, for example, do expect to see politicians setting an example.

People understand that politicians are not infallible. However, if someone has broken the rules, even inadvertently, it’s important to acknowledge that.

It’s also very important for the public to see that if a politician has breached the Covid regulations, that they face the same investigation and same sanction as anyone else.

That is why it is important that the various investigations into the events around Bobby Storey’s funeral are allowed to complete their work.

THE neighbouring Republic’s just concluded lockdown is regarded as having been quite successful, with a notable drop in the ‘R’ Covid infection number there. Are there any lessons to learn from their approach to the pandemic?

There are undoubtedly lessons we can learn from the Republic, as indeed there will be lessons, we can take from other UK regions, and every other country around the world.

It is important to note too of course that the R number has reduced in Northern Ireland.

That success is down to the fact that people have been so good in adhering to the public health message, and working together to protect ourselves and our neighbours and restrict the spread of the virus.

As our nearest neighbour, it is particularly important that we work with the Republic, and most vital to that is the sharing of information.

Whilst we must always take steps based on the situation we face here, there is no monopoly of wisdom, and every country has been learning throughout the pandemic.

Even when we have finally got to a point where we are looking back on Covid-19, there will be a full review on the actions taken by the government, and many more lessons that can be learned at that point.

WITH the 100-year anniversary of the creation of Northern Ireland coming up next year, do you feel that the country is in a safe position within the UK, or should Unionists be preparing for a debate on a United Ireland?

Every Unionist should be very confident in proclaiming the benefits of remaining within the UK. Northern Ireland is about to embark on its second century, and I want our Centenary to be as much about looking ahead to our next 100 years, as it is marking the end of our first.

The case for remaining within the UK is by far the stronger argument, but that does not mean we should be complacent and take anything for granted.

Those of us who value our place in the UK need to be prepared to make that case, but it doesn’t mean I see the need for a Border poll.

My primary focus is on those day-to-day issues which can unite everyone in our society: ensuring our children get the very best education, that our hospitals and NHS are primed to deliver the world-class healthcare our public deserves, and that young people can look forward to living in a Northern Ireland with jobs and a positive future.

HOW do you see your next five years as leader of the DUP, and what do you want to achieve?

When devolution returned here in January, no-one could have predicted what the rest of 2020 would hold. I’m not going to look too far ahead, other than with the desire to continue building a better Northern Ireland.

Most immediately, I want to help Northern Ireland through the Covid-19 pandemic, and seek to tackle the economic challenges that will face us for many, many years to come.

Ultimately, I want to see a peaceful, prosperous Northern Ireland and, like everyone, I want to leave behind something better.

Recently I’ve been taking part in an initiative I’ve called ‘Beyond 21’, which seeks to engage primarily with younger people across Northern Ireland about their vision for the country’s potential beyond our first 100 years.

Northern Ireland has a very proud history, but I would like for us to be just as passionate about what lies ahead.