UUP’s Mike Nesbitt and DUP’s Gavin Robinson have a lot in common

So why does he – and indeed his party – think he will succeed this time where he failed last time? And if Doug Beattie was too liberal for many in the ranks of the self-proclaimed broad church, then surely he is too.

Not so according to a former leader from the “traditional wing”. Tom Elliott and many others in the party’s biggest constituency association – Fermanagh South Tyrone – would not share Mr Nesbitt’s views on things like same-sex marriage and the GAA. But he says that is not a major problem.

“The majority in Fermanagh South Tyrone are fairly supportive of Mike, ” says the man who lead the UUP from 2010 until Mike Nesbitt took over in 2012. “OK he’s more socially liberal than some but he always listens even if he doesn’t always do what everyone wants.

“The general view is he did a good job last time except maybe for the last few months.”

That’s a reference to Mike Nesbitt’s support for being in official opposition with the SDLP, otherwise known as “Vote Mike Get Colum, Vote Colum get Mike.”

Colum being the then SDLP leader Colum Eastwood.

Colum has announced he is resigning – just as Mike gets ready to come back.

At the time Mr Nesbitt claimed he’d been “burned” from the leadership job by unionist sectarianism, comparing unionism to a frog sitting in a pot of water unaware of the threat to its existence as the temperature rises.

But another former UUP member says Mike Nesbitt’s early tenure as leader was “a missed opportunity”.

“Mike managed to lose the likes of David McNarry from one end of the party and people like Basil McCrea and John McCallister from the other,” said the source.

“So I really don’t know what is likely to change second time around.”

Another source more favourable to Mike Nesbitt says his return is “not terrible, not great”.

“I think the best thing that can be said is that we’ve gone through a few political novices as leader and with experience he might be better this time.”

Supporters point to the fact he opposed Brexit and warned of consequences which subsequently played out to the detriment of unionism.

Whatever Mike Nesbitt’s next tenure is like, it is unlikely to be dull.

This is the man who just after becoming leader the first time said he wanted to spend 24 hours with a family in a socially deprived area.

His host Phillip Ferris said he’d found the politician “humble and genuine.”

The DUP branded Nesbitt’s offer as “crass and patronising”.