As more RHI revelations make their way into the public domain, there are signs that the political temperature in the Executive is heading northwards. Today, the Sinn Fein Deputy First Minister, Martin McGuinness, reiterated his party’s call for Arlene Foster to step aside as First Minister over the issue. Whilst a non-attributed DUP statement appeared to rule this out in recent days (to the joy of at least one DUP councillor- see tweet below), there are indications that the heat is certainly getting to some linked with the First Minister.

Foster will not step aside ‘for a single day’ 💪💪

DUP https://t.co/GwaMcuYXcv — Phillip Brett (@PhillipBrett21) December 31, 2016

One of the leading journalists associated with reporting the RHI story, the News Letter’s Sam McBride, noted yesterday that a DUP worker in Arlene Foster’s office, Brian Haslett, had attacked him for “bias tripe” in reporting the RHI story before apparently calling for a boycott of the News Letter paper over the issue:

Worker in Arlene Foster's office praises Bel Tel for again ignoring RHI on front page; attacks me for daring to investigate £500m scandal. pic.twitter.com/pP4CxrUswK — Sam McBride (@SJAMcBride) December 31, 2016

The idea of anyone associated with the most vociferously unionist political party calling for a boycott of the stridently unionist daily newspaper is quite remarkable, never mind someone, as noted by Sam McBride, who works in Arlene Foster’s office.

The heat sure can do strange things to some people…..