IN his column (September 7), Dr Ian Paisley had for his subject “The spiritual life of Lord Carson”.
Dr Paisley made particular reference to the “great truths of the Ten Commandments”. He added that “justice, fidelity and compassion are the outworking of the Ten Commandments”.
He continued that “they are qualities necessary to leadership. They are the qualities our forefathers recognised in Edward Carson”.
While it is very true that 100 years ago, in 1912, Ulstermen and women recognised these qualities in Lord Carson, the question which needs to be asked is what would the unionist electorate in 2012 think of Lord Carson, or – perhaps more importantly – what would Lord Carson think of the present-day political arrangements in Ulster, and indeed the leaders of unionism and the Protestant churches?
If we are to take the Ten Commandments as the benchmark, would Edward Carson be an opponent or supporter of our present Stormont Assembly?
How would the right-wing conservative, political and moral views which Edward Carson championed in 1912 be viewed amongst the liberal views within the main unionist parties of today, and would he be portrayed as one who was living in the past, a backwoods man, out of step with today’s modern way of life?
The Edward Carson of 1912 had the support of the main Protestant church denominations and the smaller ones.
How would his calls for Ulstermen to mobilise into an army of Ulster volunteers to defend Ulster be viewed today by the ever-increasing ecumenical and liberal clergy, who will eagerly denounce the actions of loyalists and the loyal orders while remaining silent at the actions of militant republicans?
The present-day unionist community can only look back with pride at the actions of Lord Carson and those who flocked to sign the Ulster Covenant, but we must hold our heads in shame for forsaking the values and principles of that generation and betraying their memory and sacrifice by allowing Sinn Fein into government.
Lord Carson, and the Ulstermen and women of 1912, would have opposed this sell-out of our Ulster and British heritage.
Walter Millar
Traditional Unionist Voice
Cookstown