Deirdre Heenan: Poots was the architect of his own downfall

From the brutal ousting of his predecessor to his bungling of the Irish language issue, Edwin Poots’s brief reign as DUP leader was a litany of blunders

Poots’s second mistake was in campaigning for the leadership of the DUP on a manifesto of radical reform. Picture: Getty

Northern Ireland is no stranger to political drama. Instability, crisis, collapse and trench warfare have become part and parcel of the political landscape of power-sharing.

But rarely has there been a scene like the one which unfolded last Thursday and culminated in the resignation of Edwin Poots as leader of the DUP. The speed and nature of his undoing surprised even the most seasoned political commentators.

Less than a month after achieving his lifetime ambition ...