THE post of Stormont justice minister is a rather strange job. That goes some way to explaining the different responses to Naomi Long and Robin Swann running for Westminster.
UUP health minster Swann has been set up by his party to be knocked down. He was portrayed as the returning hero, taking on a vital job nobody else would do, only to resign within months to campaign for another office.
Long, the Alliance justice minister, will also have to resign if she wins a Westminster seat. Many unionists clearly feel she deserves as much criticism as Swann, plus more for double-jobbing during the campaign, yet the media is giving her an easy ride.
This comparison does not quite work, for reasons neither minister will find flattering.
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Swann’s sudden departure has exploded the myth of his tenure during the pandemic. People are reassessing his performance against the state of the health service and finding nothing to celebrate.
Robin Swann is standing for the UUP in the general election. PICTURE: COLM LENAGHANLong has been plodding along in a low-profile post that is Alliance’s by default. The public appears confused and indifferent over what her role entails, which brings us back to the odd nature of the........