Bizarre Business and Sexual Baggage in Belfast Politics

When Billy McCambley, was dying of cancer he asked his dear friend,
the deeply religious, Iris Robinson DUP MP, to look after his son
Kirk. She promised she would.The  59-year-old woman took the
19-year-old boy to her bosom immediately. The dying man however would
have turned in his grave at what happened subsequently. The Robinson
affair is almost as bizarre as the Gerry Adam's cover up of his
brothers child abuse case, to ever come out of Belfast.


She proceeded to ruthlessly seduce the young Kirk who was a very
vulnerable 19 year old, following the death of his father. She then
told him of a business opportunity, in which Castlereagh council was
searching for someone to run the lock-keeper's cottage which would be
an excellent location for a restaurant. She raised £50,000 for Kirk to
renovate it, from two local property developers while she herself held
on to £5,000 in cash.


The council approved of the proposal. Iris voted in Kirk's favour
without declaring a personal interest as councillors are required to
do. This week the council announced an investigation. She should have
declared that she solicited money from the developers.
Her husband Mr Peter Robinson is facing charges he knew his wife
obtained £50,000 from two developers for her teen lover but did not
tell the authorities. He has stepped down while the NI assembly is to
investigate the conduct of both Robinsons.Mr Robinson has designated
Enterprise Minister Arlene Foster to take charge as First minister
with immediate effect. Gerry Adams MP for West Belfast, on the other
hand, unlike the Robinsons or the half a dozen bishops who resigned
for exactly the same thing, refuses to take responsibility and resign.



A surprising choice because in September 2007, a proposal for a new
Giant's Causeway centre which was to be privately financed, was given
preliminary approval by the Environment Minister and DUP member Arlene
Foster. The public money that had been allocated to the Causeway
development was immediately afterwards frozen. The proposal created a
very public row about the relationship between the private developer
Seymour Sweeney and the DUP.  Mr Sweeney is a member of the DUP. In
January 2008, Mrs Arlene Foster the new first minister, against the
backdrop of some very bad press, announced that she had changed her
mind and now decided against Mr Sweeney's proposal reversing her
earlier position of "being minded" to approve it. Although the public
funds for a Causeway scheme remain frozen at the moment, it seems
likely that the publicly funded plan at the Causeway will now go
ahead.




Bearing in mind the reasons for the Robinson's resignations, which
relate to charges of corruption, Ms Fosters appointment as a
replacement, is rather remarkable under the circumstances,  bearing in
mind the almost identical accusations, with the exception of sex,
presuming the DUP's Arlene Foster doesn't have a toy-boy or heaven
forbid a bi-girl.