Last Saturday, he defeated his opponents who had called yet another meeting of the Ulster Unionist Council on the latest pretext to challenge his leadership. This is the 13th time in about five years that Trimble has won, and yet within six months, potentially, he could confront another challenge. It is as if a contender for the title is allowed to challenge the champion every six months in spite of being defeated every time.
How many would show up for that fight? Not even a Don King could sell it. Yet about 800 UUC delegates show up every six months or so to watch Trimble score another victory. He does so within the same range — winning between 52-56 percent of the delegates each time.
Trimble’s victories are even more impressive because he is in a sense fighting with one hand tied behind his back. His most fierce opponents, the Orange Order and the Young Unionist Association, have block votes on the UUC. This is despite the fact that many Orangemen are not even members of the Unionist Party. It has been estimated that if these block votes were eliminated or reduced, Trimble’s margin would jump to 70 percent.
However, a question poses itself: Why is it that Trimble continues on this treadmill? When he became party leader eight years ago, he promised reform, including getting rid of the party’s Orange links. This was never done.
As a result, Trimble’s victories have not succeeded in vanquishing the opposition. They are able to come back every time, threatening to derail his leadership and block progress towards a settlement.
The trouble with a treadmill is that it does not lead anywhere. It just goes around and around and around. One gets the same feeling with the politics of the UUP.