>Supporters want to see unionism toughening up and being taken seriously, not taken for fools.
But being fools is a fundamental part of their culture.
‘Hardline’ unionists make up ~0.3% of the population of the UK (that’s being generous).
Boris has been to Ukraine three times in 6 months while only visiting Northern Ireland once this year.
Every day, Britain and NI move further apart. Whatever action unionists take, they will realise too late that nobody in England cares
The main unionist party, the DUP, was the only party in parliament to push for brexit and the only one to reject May’s deal to keep all the UK the same.
Nobody has done more than unionists to create the Northern Ireland protocol.
This was always the unionist plan: by supporting Brexit, the DUP hoped to force the government to put in place a hard border on the island of Ireland and thereby collapse the institutions of the Good Friday Agreement.
Partially because they have always opposed a peace which they see as weakening the position of unionists in society – if a person is used to a privileged position, equity feels like oppression.
Partially as a response to the long term erosion of support for unionism. They know that eventually if nothing is done the conditions in the Good Friday Agreement will be met. Northern Ireland will be majority Republican and a border poll will be triggered. If they do not act to break the Good Friday Agreement at some stage and remove that commitment, then in the long term reunification is inevitable.
This also explains why they’re so terrified of accepting the post of Deputy First Minister. It is a sign of the shape of things to come. Their community is shrinking in comparison to that of their opponents and, again, they fear becoming a minority because they assume that as a minority they will suffer the kinds of disadvantages which had been inflicted on Republicans for decades under majority unionist rule.
I have my suspicions that even if the UK government, the Irish government and Sinn Fein gathered round for a big protocol burning ceremony, another excuse would be found to avoid re-entering power sharing as the smaller party. They just can’t face it. The symbolism is all wrong.
4 comments
>Supporters want to see unionism toughening up and being taken seriously, not taken for fools.
But being fools is a fundamental part of their culture.
‘Hardline’ unionists make up ~0.3% of the population of the UK (that’s being generous).
Boris has been to Ukraine three times in 6 months while only visiting Northern Ireland once this year.
Every day, Britain and NI move further apart. Whatever action unionists take, they will realise too late that nobody in England cares
The main unionist party, the DUP, was the only party in parliament to push for brexit and the only one to reject May’s deal to keep all the UK the same.
Nobody has done more than unionists to create the Northern Ireland protocol.
This was always the unionist plan: by supporting Brexit, the DUP hoped to force the government to put in place a hard border on the island of Ireland and thereby collapse the institutions of the Good Friday Agreement.
Partially because they have always opposed a peace which they see as weakening the position of unionists in society – if a person is used to a privileged position, equity feels like oppression.
Partially as a response to the long term erosion of support for unionism. They know that eventually if nothing is done the conditions in the Good Friday Agreement will be met. Northern Ireland will be majority Republican and a border poll will be triggered. If they do not act to break the Good Friday Agreement at some stage and remove that commitment, then in the long term reunification is inevitable.
This also explains why they’re so terrified of accepting the post of Deputy First Minister. It is a sign of the shape of things to come. Their community is shrinking in comparison to that of their opponents and, again, they fear becoming a minority because they assume that as a minority they will suffer the kinds of disadvantages which had been inflicted on Republicans for decades under majority unionist rule.
I have my suspicions that even if the UK government, the Irish government and Sinn Fein gathered round for a big protocol burning ceremony, another excuse would be found to avoid re-entering power sharing as the smaller party. They just can’t face it. The symbolism is all wrong.