Belfast Agreement was a fraud and must be replaced

Doug Beattie made a valid point in his article (Unionism must fight for NI, not huff in a corner, News Letter, March 25) when he contends that the campaign against the Protocol needs to have an objective beyond removing the Protocol.

However, his what could be termed ‘slavish’ devotion to the 1998 Belfast Agreement is rather puzzling.

This Agreement let unrepentant terrorists into government as of right, opened the prison gates to convicted terrorists, destroyed the RUC and provided a system of government which has been more stop than start for the last 25-odd years.

Regarding the Belfast Agreement and its so-called principle of consent by both communities for constitutional change, it provides no protection at all, as recent court cases have shown.

Laws made in Europe can be enacted without our consent, leading to more and more economic divergence from the rest of the UK and convergence with the Irish Republic.

The only consent unionists can have is to say yes or no to hauling down the Union Jack and raising the Tricolour.

Clearly the Belfast Agreement and the Protocol will turn us into BINOs (British In Name Only), and as long as we operate the Agreement the process of de-Unionisation will continue.

I am aware that the Belfast Agreement is the UUP’s baby, but it has been demonstrated to be a fraud based on shabby, secret side deals with terrorists, and its “consent principle” has been shown to be worthless. It needs replaced - full stop.

Replaced with what? As a start, all unionist parties and organisations should convene to draw up a suitable replacement to the Belfast Agreement and its recent offshoots, and no unionist should participate in the present Stormont structures until a workable and truly democratic replacement has been thrashed out.

Tom Ferguson, Ballymoney

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