Unionists must unite to defeat nationalism

Belfast Telegraph 

Letters

Publication Date: 12 July 2003

Unionists must unite to defeat nationalism

I read with interest the article by Christopher Montgomery, the director of the Friends of the Union (Belfast Telegraph, June 30).

I believe that he is right to promote links between all shades of unionist opinion to effectively counter the existing massed ranks of nationalist opinion both inside and outside Ulster.

Unionists such as Jeffrey Donaldson, the Rev. Martin Smith and David Burnside have, of course, already been articulating the case for a coalition of unionist interest for some time.

They rightly recognise that more can be achieved for the political development of Northern Ireland and the welfare of its people with the biggest, clearest unionist force possible working to ensure that Northern Ireland remains part of the United Kingdom.

A weak unionist voice at the negotiating table and divided unionism has contributed to concession after concession being given to the by now expectant nationalists who either want to undermine the Union by stealth or by force.

Those of us who are appalled by the Prime Minister's continuous acts of constitutional vandalism across the whole of the UK, culminating recently in the Joint Declaration of the British and Irish Governments, hope that it will not be too long before the wisdom of Messrs Donaldson, Smyth and Burnside is appreciated for what it is.

It is difficult to see how they and their party colleagues can be perceived as destructive when they are being true to their long-standing Unionist principles and I am far more concerned about the so-called principles of Tony Blair and his role in undermining the rule of law following the implementation of the flawed Belfast Agreement.

To take further steps down this rocky road without first securing the disarming of terrorists and the disbanding of paramilitary organisations makes no sense at all and it is a sorry state of affairs to see those who articulate this case being alienated from a Unionist party.

JOHN MIDGLEY, Kennington, London

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