It is almost a week since the DUP had their annual Conference, and I am still struggling to understand the “Building on success” tagline. I am sure somewhere there is a success that they could claim - but they seem only to be able to claim successes that were achieved by other Ministers - free prescriptions I believe is from the Department of Helath, Winter fuel payments are from DSD - I will keep looking though..

Perhaps the success to which they are eluding may be that in 2007, they successfully marched their supporters up to the top of they hill and u-turned all the way down again. Or indeed it may be that they have successfully increased the number of Sinn Fein Ministers in the Executive from two prior to 2007 to the present five.

Indeed the success to which they refer may be electoral success, and this success is perhaps the clearest of all. Credit for the DUPs electoral success must go to their Director of Elections Jeffrey Donaldson who in addition to being an Alderman on Lisburn City Council, a Member of the Assembly, a Member of Parliament and the Privy Council and who had been a Junior Minister, found time to direct elections for the DUP. During Mr Donaldson’s reign as Director of Elections, the true success of the DUP has become apparent.

Mr Donaldson was the main man at the time of the Dromore by-election, which saw the Ulster Unionist Candidate Mrs Carol Black elected, and he was also the Director of Elections during the more recent and increasingly successful European Elections, where Jim Nicholson of the Conservatives and Unionists was returned to the European Parliament as the first Unionist from Northern Ireland while the DUP candidate scrapped in third, not having reached a quota. Perhaps this is the success on which the DUP wish to build - I for one wish to see their success built on this foundation continue.