Blair must back up Trimble in his struggle for the soul of the UUP

IS it the real Ulster Unionist Party or the continuity Ulster Unionist Party which Jeffrey Donaldson wants to lead?

His attempted coup d'état in trying to seize governance of the Ulster Unionist Party, by halving the parliamentary party led by David Trimble in the House of Commons, is unlikely to result in the Lagan Valley MP taking over the reins of leadership of the UUP. Nor can it be taken for granted that Mr Trimble's days at the helm are over. For the sake of the peace process, I hope they are not.

Mr Donaldson graphically illustrated this week that democracy is a chronic condition to which he is allergic.