Doug Beattie: ​A fully functioning Stormont will stop the swing to Sinn Fein in its tracks

​Without a doubt there is a crisis within unionism and it is a crisis of our own making. Over the last number of weeks and months unionism has portrayed an increasingly negative message. This has culminated in what can only be seen as a defeatist attitude following the local election results.

At times it is embarrassing to watch as prominent unionists argue against a border poll but then say 50+1 is no longer acceptable. It’s as if fear has gripped them and an irrational, ‘let’s say something, anything’, attitude has clouded their collective thought process. We also have those saying that the whole United Kingdom should decide Northern Ireland’s future in any border poll. This would be a lightning rod for Scottish, Welsh and English nationalists who would see it as an opportunity to further their own aims.

Firstly, I don’t believe the criteria has been met for a border poll and will not be met if a number of things were to happen. Secondly, I believe a border poll vote will easily side with remaining in the United Kingdom. Of course, I accept others will view this differently. It is important to respect different aspirations for the future of this Island; but I am giving my views as a confident, inclusive unionist with a positive outlook for Northern Ireland and all who live, work and visit here.

For the United Kingdom to succeed all parts of the kingdom must succeed. This includes Northern Ireland therefore it is imperative the executive and assembly are restored. Keeping Stormont down feeds into the narrative that Northern Ireland doesn’t work, that it is a failed state and it promotes and gives false credibility to the calls for a united Ireland and the proceeding border poll. It is a counter intuitive stance that strategic thinking unionists should have been able to see long before now.

The Sinn Fein surge has been brought about by their pragmatic stance on reversing their purist republican credentials, swallowing up their negative historical stance with a charm offensive which has worked and worked spectacularly. The longer Stormont stays down the more people will swing to vote Sinn Fein even if they don’t believe in their united Ireland ideology. A fully functioning executive will stop this dead in its tracks as they have to make difficult decisions while the SDLP sits in opposition ready to pounce on their failings. In simple terms, electorally, no Stormont helps Sinn Fein.

However, it is not enough for unionist to say all we need to do is get back into government and all our problems are over. There needs to be wholesale change within unionism whether that is a realignment or a change in ethos. It needs to start with unionists in Northern Ireland reengaging with the term unionism, by understanding that it is a pluralist term and not an isolationist ideology.

Northern Ireland is a modern, diverse society which is part of a multi-cultural United Kingdom. We have a shared yet troubled history on this island and these islands but understanding different points of view must not be viewed as a weakness but as a strength. Unionism must begin to understand the changing demographic of this place, not just the change in religion or age or how individuals identify themselves but the overwhelming change in social attitudes and community backgrounds.

Unionism has a rich culture of music, poetry and art which must be underpinned by a welcoming attitude. We must promote our musicians who play in bands, we must celebrate our historical anniversaries by showcasing them in a family friendly way, we must reach out beyond these shores to remind the world of the positive impact we have made not least in the United States. It’s not rocket science, it’s basic marketing and we do it poorly.

The Northern Ireland Protocol was never going to work and the Windsor Framework is not the starting point we would have wished. Unionism must collectively challenge the downsides of the Windsor Framework while working to maximise the clear opportunities contained in it for Northern Ireland. This must be done within the context of an overwhelming vote at Westminster to implement the Windsor Framework and the knowledge that in 2025 the Trade and Cooperation Agreement is due to be reviewed. If we have no functioning government, we will have no say.

Making Northern Ireland work by focusing on our economy is the strongest tool we have to maintain our place within a positive forward-thinking union. As unionists we have what we want – we are still a part of the United Kingdom – but If we do not grasp the opportunities before us now, we will truly be grasping defeat out of the jaws of victory.

• Doug Beattie MC MLA is leader of the Ulster Unionist Party