Editorial

It is now over 600 days since I was afforded the honour of serving as the leader of our great Party. This is a heavy burden of responsibility, but one that I cherish. The frequent messages of support I receive from colleagues, members and supporters the length and breadth of our Province are a constant source of strength and encouragement. I want you to know that I do not take your support for granted.

Over the course of recent months, the work of rebuilding and unifying our Party has continued at pace. Our membership has been boosted by a steady number of new recruits. We have also welcomed new elected representatives from outside the DUP family who share our vision of a positive, modern and more cohesive Unionism. We are moving in the right direction but there is still special tribute to those who are standing down at this election or who are handing the baton of responsibility and representation to others. We are indebted to their many years of service. To those whose name will be on the ballot paper for the DUP for the first time, I say thank you and wish you every success.

I love an election and I will be taking our message to doorsteps in every village, town and city across Northern Ireland. The past fifty years have proven that the DUP works best when we work as a team. As leader, I want to ensure that our members are kept regularly up-to-date with the activities of DUP elected representatives, are made aware of upcoming events and are able to learn more about how we develop and decide our policies. By doing this, we can ensure we move forward together and guarantee everyone a genuine stake in the journey ahead. This magazine is one of a number of initiatives that the Party is taking forward. It will be published on quarterly basis to provide members-only insight into issues affecting the Party at every level. This edition will profile a number of new faces whilst addressing some of the bigger issues of the day – the Protocol, the Local Government elections and Northern Ireland’s contribution to the defence of Ukraine. I hope you find it informative.

I want to sincerely thank all those who kindly contributed in any way to this first edition of our magazine.

Jeffrey Donaldson

Sir Jeffrey Donaldson MP