DUP must heed this wake-up call or face political oblivion

The party’s traditional and historical roots in an adversarial approach has tragically only encouraged an endemic reluctance to engage in progressive political discourse, demonstrated all to clearly by the DUP’s muddled and short sighted approach to Brexit.

The voices of experienced unionist fathers such as Lord Trimble and Peter Robinson have been conveniently ignored, while the DUP continues to place its confidence in the tottering foundations of an increasingly inward looking conservative and ‘unionist’ party.

The nationalist tide is rising, and it is no longer good enough for the DUP to put on its political Wellington boots and hold its nose.

The only way the party can hope to protect the Union and avoid drowning ideologically is to engage constructively with opposition parties and build the bulwarks of consensus from within our nation, and this can only be achieved by first taking a step backwards and making an honest assessment of the changing political topography.

Bill Andrews, (Ex community worker on Shankill Road), Co Antrim