Letters: Unionism must unite against NI Protocol

As we commence 2023, the time has come for unionists to finally take a stand in the defence of the United Kingdom by a union of unionists against the unjust and undemocratic NI protocol.

Opposition to the Union-destroying protocol has given purpose and rekindled the almost dead fire in the belly of what it is and means to be a unionist, a long overdue revival within all strands of unionism. After all, a fundamental requirement of being a unionist is to protect equal rights and trade for all citizens within the four nations which make up the country.

The recent mood music between Brussels, Dublin and London gives much cause for concern to unionism, especially the carefully scripted comments by Leo Varadkar - one of the chief architects of the protocol who used images of terrorist violence for political leverage – that mistakes were made on all sides. For unionists, the biggest mistake of all was made by Boris Johnson in the trap that is the protocol, with the UK’s loss of sovereignty, control and the voluntary partitioning of the country by a sea border.

It is quite clear that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has no intention of carrying out the basic function of government at Westminster to not just protect but strengthen our Union by the removal of the protocol, as it was not even mentioned in his top list of priorities. With the real threat of a possible break-up of the UK now on the cards, unionists are joining together in ever increasing numbers to undertake and make the solemn case for the restoration of the Union.

Unionism has but a few levers of political pressure that we can use against the protocol, the most important one is the continued refusal of the largest unionist party to form an executive until the protocol is dealt with to unionist satisfaction.

If all unionist parties would unite like the unionist people are already doing on the ground in opposition to the protocol in a union of unionists by refusing to form an executive, this would amplify the pressure unionism can exert on the UK government considerably. It could no longer be portrayed by the enemies of unionism as just the DUP unwilling to form an executive but a case in fact that all unionists – in a joint and symbolic response to the protocol – are and will remain unwilling to form an executive until the protocol issues are resolved. Meaning that Northern Ireland’s constitutional position within the UK must be restored before the assembly will operate once again, forcing the UK government to choose - Belfast Agreement or the protocol?

Stevan Patterson, Castlederg