With the Minister for Finance and Personnel being touted to leave his ministry to focus on his Westminster duties i feel a full DUP shuffle on the agenda.
The DUP ministeries are Enterprise, Trade & Investment; Culture, Arts & Leisure; Environment; and Finance & Personnel. They also have a Junior Minister in the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister.
So who will be where in the next few weeks? Peter Robinson, our First Minister, will not go anywhere. However, Nigel Dodds is moving out to concentrate on his duties as an MP. Does this also set a precedent for the DUP Junior Minister, Jeffery Donaldson MP? and we all know that Sammy Wilson is biding his time before he leaves DOE.
This would leave three places without 'demoting' anyone as such.
I have heard the name Simon Hamilton, DUP MLA for Strangford, being touted for a ministry and that Arlene Foster, currently Minister for Enterprise Trade and Investment, will be moved up to the Ministery of Finance and Personnel.
I also expect Edwin Poots, who had been Minister for Culture Arts and Leisure before the Maze Stadium fiasco, to be offered a ministry in the reshuffle. The is also a possibility of Peter Weir, MLA from North Down, getting a ministry as well.
So card son the table. Who will be in or moved in the great DUP reshuffle?
First Minister - Peter Robinson
Junior Minister - Peter Weir
DFP - Arlene Foster
DETI - Maybe Jeffery Donaldson but think more Edwin Poots
DCAL - Nelson McCausland
DOE - Simon Hamilton
I wonder if i should put a bet on? Never been any good at predicting the lotto, so I would not take my stab at who will go where as an absolute. But I think i may be close.
Only time will tell how close i came, but it is always fun speculating.
