Unionism is always on the back foot and slow to tell its own story

Nobody was surprised when the charming House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi talked down the chances of a UK-US trade deal if the, apparently re-christened, ‘Good Friday Accords’ were ‘undermined’.

After all, it’s hard to see how deeply intertwined Northern Ireland and Great Britain are from San Francisco so the fact that she does not recognise the potential to Northern Ireland of a US-UK trade deal is maybe understandable.

What was a little more surprising was the upping of the ante by Michel Barnier.

His peculiar stance, which twice saw him threaten to prevent food being sent here seemed strange given that the European Commission’s privately stated aim is to charm Northern Ireland into annexation.

We now find ourselves in a position where both Washington and Brussels are threatening to damage Northern Ireland as leverage in trade negotiations.

The reaction from our local ex-Remainer politicians has been underwhelming, to say the least.

Confronted with some pretty awful behaviour by these huge political actors, their response suggests that they are currently suffering from a bout of Stockholm Syndrome.

Despite two scenarios being suggested that could see their constituents become considerably poorer, they have offered a full-throated endorsement of the Commission’s position that would embarrass even most European politicians.

The dynamics of the situation are clear.

Whether they want to stay in with the political ‘in crowd’ or affect constitutional change, some are willing to risk a great deal of economic self-harm.

But in rightly pointing out the role of others, unionism must also demonstrate some self-awareness.

The nonsense that became the Withdrawal Agreement and ended with threats of blockade would never have made it out of the starting gate if unionism was widely understood beyond these shores.

Somewhat libertarian in nature, unionism lacks a natural strategic flair because, for the most part, we just want to be left alone.

Hard work, family life and a thousand other things are more important to us than politics and agitation.

These are admirable traits but they simply don’t cut it when others have designs for you, and your way of life.

Failing to tell our story on a 24/7 basis creates a vacuum where interpretations of history and notions of illegitimacy that are quite simply untrue are allowed to sneak into the discourse.

After 50 years the consequences of relying on the self-evidently correct nature of our arguments are now clear.

We see these common tropes used when the issue of the Centenary is raised. It’s obvious that the creation of Northern Ireland was and remains the best compromise solution to the troubles of the time.

But if we remain fixated on the arguments of those who characterise it as merely ‘partition’, we will never make the reality of the situation clear.

What unionism can little afford is to adopt a Corbyn-style approach to being on the back foot.

Imagining that things would be better if only our opponents acted in a different manner, or if the international media were more understanding, or if there was a single, united, unionist party, is not a strategy; it’s a fantasy.

Getting these hang-ups out of our heads and focussing on telling our story is the only way to make sure we never find ourselves in this situation again.

• Neil Wilson is a communications consultant, working largely in the financial services industry, and a former political campaign manager. A member of the DUP, he lives in East Belfast

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