'Calvert letter was most revealing'

The letter from David (International Fund for Ireland) Calvert, the TUV’s most senior remaining representative in Upper Bann was most revealing.

The last time that he said anything publicly was nearly a full six months ago after he was rejected yet again at the polls by the people of Craigavon and we have had neither pip nor squeak from him since.

Major events have come and gone, but none of these moved David (IFI) Calvert. Yet the thought of spitting venom at a fellow unionist was much too attractive to pass up.

And of course this is the nub of the issue. Because what David (IFI) Calvert forgot to mention in his letter was that it wasn’t only Mayor Moutray who didn’t extend a warm welcome to him. Oh no! It was also a significant proportion of his own Upper Bann TUV colleagues who at the time of the 2010 council by-election attempted to have him replaced as ‘co-optee’ and then split away from the Upper Bann branch.

The UUP also refused to second his co-option. They didn’t want a Calvert about the place either!

And then, of course, there was also the unionist electorate who too found themselves unable to offer any welcome to David (IFI) Calvert for they sent him packing as well as they did in 2001, 2005 and 2007.

From this one can see a pattern emerge which is that one of the few things that unites unionists of all shades DUP, UUP and even a significant proportion of his own TUV party colleagues, together with the unionist electorate is antipathy towards David (IFI) Calvert.

Perhaps the real questions are not for Mr Moutray, the DUP, UUP, his own colleagues or indeed for the unionist electorate. Perhaps the real questions are for David IFI Calvert.