The best plan for unionism is political stabilisation, then new ideas

It’s odd how the first two decades of a century lack a viable descriptive term.
Sinn Fein President Mary Lou McDonald (centre) with northern leader Michelle O'Neill (right) and party MEP Martina Anderson help smash through the mock border checkpoint last year. Post Brexit the land border will stay open, denying SF such protest opportunities. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEyeSinn Fein President Mary Lou McDonald (centre) with northern leader Michelle O'Neill (right) and party MEP Martina Anderson help smash through the mock border checkpoint last year. Post Brexit the land border will stay open, denying SF such protest opportunities. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye
Sinn Fein President Mary Lou McDonald (centre) with northern leader Michelle O'Neill (right) and party MEP Martina Anderson help smash through the mock border checkpoint last year. Post Brexit the land border will stay open, denying SF such protest opportunities. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye

The ‘noughties’ never worked, nor did the ‘teens’. But the ‘twenties’ has a certain clarity. Maybe that will encourage us to approach the next ten years with a sense of direction.

We need more opinion pieces from Ben Lowry and Alex Kane and more letters like the recent one from Michael Palmer (‘The assembly must ban hunting with dogs in Northern Ireland, and if Stormont is not restored then Parliament must do it,’ December 27).

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Surely, unionists should agree that the optics of hunting with dogs are appalling, even if no foxes are caught. Thank you to Michael for calling for a ban.

Letter to the editorLetter to the editor
Letter to the editor

Ben, on several occasions recently, has mentioned that not a single Tory MP opposed Boris Johnson’s EU deal. This is terribly important. Few are anti-Union, they just lack political courage. We will have to adjust to that, and we can.

The surprisingly good news is that Boris Johnson is now fearless and largely free from the European Research Group right-wingers. We can work with that too.

Furthermore, there will be no second Scottish referendum under Mr Johnson, every cloud has its silver lining.

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The Union is struggling but is not dissolving. Labour lost in the North and North Midlands not primarily because of Brexit, but because decent people thought Jeremy Corbyn was unpatriotic. The fundamental values remain.

It’s also good that Sinn Fein has been denied its opportunity for mass protest at the border when Brexit takes place. The border will stay fully open.

Any Hollywood director could have choreographed a spectacular for them if matters had gone in a different direction. Perhaps it is now time for Sinn Fein to try some real politics instead.

Our best plan is now stabilisation, followed by new ideas.

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In Northern Ireland that means a restored assembly that gets back to business, such as the NHS. Boris also loves infrastructure, so there are opportunities there.

When stabilisation is achieved a new progressive unionism needs to emerge, extending its vision to climate change and other areas unknown to the old guard, such as hunting with dogs. New, young leadership should be encouraged.

They are out there in the colleges and universities, councils, among bloggers and tweeters, party associations and people who have started careers, but could be co-opted.

The NI parliament was launched in the 1920s with all the right words from the king. Let’s hope that in the 2020s it can be a beacon of progressive unionism.

The choice is: ‘modernise, or fade away’. I choose ‘modernise’.

John Gemmell, Wem, Shropshire