If UUP do not extricate themselves from the talks process before its conclusion, they will have no defence for the outcome

The talks throw up a very challenging question for all of unionism, and in particular, the Ulster Unionist Party.
Ulster Unionist leader Steve Aiken  and party colleague Doug Beattie, left, meet with Northern Ireland Secretary Julian Smith at Stormont House last month.

Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEyeUlster Unionist leader Steve Aiken  and party colleague Doug Beattie, left, meet with Northern Ireland Secretary Julian Smith at Stormont House last month.

Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye
Ulster Unionist leader Steve Aiken and party colleague Doug Beattie, left, meet with Northern Ireland Secretary Julian Smith at Stormont House last month. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye

The UUP seem to be at odds over entering into an executive if, or when, a deal is cobbled together.

The dilemma is straightforward enough, form an opposition, or sit at the table with the IRA’s proxies, swallow whatever form of an Irish language act and other concessions to the insatiable republican movement in return for power.

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Since the NIO legacy consultation, the one way direction of demonising the security forces and everyone except the IRA is clear for us all to see.

Letter to the editorLetter to the editor
Letter to the editor

Former UUP Leader Robin Swann stated in September 2018: ‘And let us not forget that the state has historical files relating to the police and the military which can be accessed by investigators. No such equivalent records are held by the terror gangs, so the focus of investigations will inevitably fall disproportionately on the security forces – responsible for 10 per cent of deaths in the Troubles, most of them legal killings, rather than the terrorist gangs who were responsible for 90 per cent of the deaths, all of them murders.’

The UUP has repeatedly spoken out against the idea of a Historical Investigations Unit (HIU) and have shunned attempts by the DUP to convince them of the merits of the legacy proposals ever since 2013 when the first kite flying exercise was tested upon the UUP hierarchy.

The problem the UUP have is twofold.

If it accedes to the packaged concessions deriving from the current talks involving the pan nationalist front and even, (most regrettably), the Irish government, they will then have the uncomfortable reality of being locked into a programme for government which will include the very proposals they have vehemently and consistently opposed, ie. all of the legacy proposals and indeed the subservience of the PSNI to a HIU set up to forensically rake over the decades of security force operations and engagements with terrorists.

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Secondly, if the UUP do not extricate themselves from the talks process before its conclusion and remain an active participant, they will have no defence for whatever the outcome may be, unless they reject any deal in the final hours, and forgo a ministerial seat.

If unionists are serious about unionist unity, then a fine place to start would be the dismissal of any attempts to camouflage any Irish language legislation with meaningless gestures to Ulster Scots, or tinkering with the Parades Commission; and instead reject the blackmail and coercion from everyone outside the unionist family upon them, and remove themselves from any direction that diminishes our Britishness, and our Union.

It is no longer a case of this we will maintain, it is rather, this we must maintain.

Stephen Cooper, TUV councillor, Comber