I'm not one to sympathize with big Ian, but he is in a bit of a tough spot with some of his own side. Everytime that a Unionist party leader has tried to come to some accomodation with "the other side", he's been deposed by those who were even more hard-line. Remember Terence O'Neill, Faulkner, & more recently Trimble?. The DUP thrashed the UUP at the last elections by accusing them of a "sell-out" to Sinn Feinn. This week, as soon as there was mention of a possible deal in Scotland, elements within the DUP started to raise additional conditions, and members of the UUP accused Paisley of a U-Turn.
Hopefully, there is still room for a compromise that both parties can sign up to.
However, it is clear that some powerful figures within the DUP want nothing less than a return to the good old days, when Taigs knew their place!