Michelle O’Neill’s remarks justifying the IRA show why loyalists burn effigies on bonfires

Perhaps in light of Michelle O’Neill’s latest justification of the IRA’s ‘war’ the leaders of political unionism might come to understand just why rank and file loyalists chose to burn an effigy on an eleventh night bonfire.

On a deeper level they might choose to reflect on the poisonous legacy of the so-called Good Friday Agreement.

Under the First Good Friday Agreement (circa 33 AD) Barabbas was released. However, unlike the Second Good Friday Agreement (1998) Barabbas was not appointed to a post in Pontius Pilate’s administration. Any assertion that Sinn Fein/IRA have a mandate poses the question “how many votes does it require to justify murder?”.

The truly significant, but as yet unstated, question for the unionist leadership is what loyalty, duty or obedience would the unionist and loyalist people owe to a Sinn Fein/IRA led government? Under what political philosophy or doctrine would we be bound to a government led by those who deny our right to exist as a separate people and justify sectarian genocide?

Robert Wallace, Portadown