Letter: The UUP-DUP are unionist in name more than they are in actions

I read with interest Neil McCarthy's assertion in a News Letter article that, 'A unionism fragmented into mere political parties would be a very weakened force' (‘It would be tragic for unionism and for NI if the DUP was to split,’ April 4).

Of course it is, but surely it would be better to define just what we mean by the term 'unionism'. The founding fathers of unionism like Carson and Craig stood for a unionism of equal citizenship with the rest of the UK. While the Ulster Unionist Party and DUP have the term 'unionist' in their titles, by their accepting, and acquiescing with, the current EU supremacy in trade and other significant matters in our province, they are subjecting our economic links with the rest of the UK to death by a thousand cuts.

Unionist parties that are progressively undermining our equal British citizenship by operating the current Irish Sea border, have no right to call themselves 'unionist'. Yes, they may stand for a connection with the rest of the UK, but it is a considerably diluted connection, which is, despite the 'smoke and mirrors' of East West talking shops and 'Stormont brakes', will be getting more dilute as time goes on.

Surely parties that promote British symbolism in the form of the Crown etc, but ensure that the king's writ doesn't run in significant areas, are well on the way to the Irish Free State set up of the 1920s. No, the 'unionist' parties operating the current Stormont regime cannot be regarded as 'unionist' in the 'equal citizenship' tradition of Carson and Craig. 'Half-pint' (or half-baked) unionists possibly, or indeed half-pint Free Staters, but not real unionists.

Indeed, currently, the only unionist grouping that stands on the 'equal citizenship' platform of Carson, Craig, and our province's founding fathers, are the TUV/Reform coalition.

Tom Ferguson, Ballymoney