The Former First Minister of Northern Ireland, Baroness Foster of Aghadrumsee is now a Broadcaster, Writer and Political Commentator. She presents The Briefing With Arlene Foster each Friday on GB News. She currently writes a column for https://www.express.co.uk/. She was described in 2017 as the second most powerful woman in UK politics, Arlene Foster made her first appearance on BBC Newsnight aged 17, after her school bus was bombed by the PIRA and she has been involved in Northern Ireland politics since being a student at Queen’s University, Belfast.
Dame Arlene Foster possesses a unique perspective on Irish politics and issues due to her background, experiences, and political trajectory.
Unionist Background: Arlene Foster comes from a unionist background, which means she supports Northern Ireland’s position within the United Kingdom. This perspective shapes her views on issues related to Irish nationalism, sovereignty, and the relationship between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK.
Leadership Role in the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP): Foster served as the leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), a major unionist political party in Northern Ireland. Her leadership role allowed her to influence policy decisions, negotiations, and political dynamics within Northern Ireland and beyond.
First Female First Minister of Northern Ireland: Arlene Foster made history by becoming the first female First Minister of Northern Ireland in January 2016. As such, she faced unique challenges and opportunities in a historically male-dominated political landscape. Her tenure provided insights into gender dynamics in Irish politics and governance.
Experience in Power-Sharing Government: Foster’s tenure as First Minister occurred during a critical period in Northern Irish politics marked by power-sharing arrangements between unionist and nationalist parties, particularly with Sinn Féin. Her experiences in navigating these power-sharing dynamics offer valuable insights into the complexities of managing political relationships and addressing sectarian divides.
Brexit and its Implications: Arlene Foster’s perspective on Irish politics was significantly influenced by the Brexit process. As a staunch unionist, she advocated for Northern Ireland’s interests within the context of Brexit negotiations, particularly concerning the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. The implications of Brexit for the island of Ireland and the Good Friday Agreement underscored the complexities of political and economic relationships within the region.
Challenges and Controversies: Throughout her political career, Foster faced numerous challenges and controversies, including disagreements within her own party, criticism of her leadership style, and scrutiny over policy decisions. These experiences likely shaped her perspectives on leadership, coalition-building, and the role of opposition in a divided political landscape.
A lawyer by profession, she was born in 1970 at the start of the Northern Ireland Troubles and grew up in County Fermanagh where she still lives with her husband and three children. Arlene has been to the forefront of advocating for more women in public life and has led by example in many ways, not least becoming the first female First Minister. Empowering more young women, and women from disadvantaged backgrounds to take part in public life is something she feels very strongly about. She has also highlighted the abuse many women in public life face from social media platforms and wants to continue to advocate on this issue when out of elected office.
Arlene was instrumental in establishing powersharing in Northern Ireland and served as Minister for the Environment when devolution returned to Northern Ireland in 2007. When Rev Dr Ian Paisley retired in 2008, she was appointed as Minister for the Department of Enterprise Trade and Investment, a position she held until May 2015. During this period she was instrumental in promoting Northern Ireland’s tourism industry, bringing major events like the MTV EMA awards, the Irish Open and Giro d’Italia to Northern Ireland and securing record levels of investment into the economy. In 2012 she spearheaded a yearlong campaign entitled ‘Our Time, Our Place’, which sought to change the narrative for Northern Ireland, marketing it as a great place to live, work, invest and holiday in. Seeing the gap in energy infrastructure in the west of NI, she drove the Gas to the West policy of bringing natural gas to homes and businesses in the area.
Arlene was appointed as Minister for Finance and Personnel in May 2015. She has worked as acting First Minister on two occasions, firstly for a period of three weeks in 2010 and then during the Autumn of 2015. After the General Election of June 2017, Arlene led her Party into a Confidence and Supply Agreement with the Conservative Party in order to secure stable government for the UK. The period between the election and the formation of a new Government has been described as one of the most significant constitutional periods in generations. The C&S agreement brought extra funding to Northern Ireland to enhance road and broadband infrastructure and invest in Health and Education.
Arlene was initially appointed as First Minister of Northern Ireland on 11 January 2016 becoming both the youngest person to hold the post and Northern Ireland’s first female First Minister. Following the Assembly election of May 2016 Arlene was returned as First Minister.
Devolution collapsed in January 2017 and what followed was a series of political negotiations to revive the power sharing institutions. Finally in January 2020 the Assembly and Executive were re-established after the New Decade, New Approach agreement which Arlene was fundamental in bringing about. She was reappointed as First Minister on 11th January 2020 and served until her resignation on 14th June 2021.