Bland statements from the DUP condemning the Irish Sea border are not enough, they need to collapse Stormont

If the DUP were serious in their opposition to the Northern Ireland Protocol, as a bare minimum, they would collapse the institutions and demand the invoking of Article 16.

MLAs putting out bland statements saying they are opposed to the protocol doesn’t cut it. Nor is it even true.

Why did the DUP vote on December 8 to bring 45 EU laws into permanent effect in Northern Ireland?

Why do DUP MLAs not demand that Edwin Poots cease operating the border customs posts?

Why are MLAs like Gordon Lyons talking about asking the EU for greater flexibility in operating the protocol and a common sense approach?

I for one and there are many others like me do not want any amendments, concessions or improvements to the protocol — it needs to be utterly scrapped and scrapped immediately.

Personally I would go much further than just the scrapping of the protocol and also demand that the Belfast/St Andrews agreement with its pernicious principles of power sharing, terrorist inclusive government, all Ireland structures, perversion of justice and the erosion of the Protestant way of life be scrapped immediately.

Such a step recognises that the threat to the Union is wider than simply the protocol and that the final end of the so-called peace process is a united Ireland.

Given Arlene Foster’s track record of abject leadership and the DUP’s love of office and ministerial position there is nothing to suggest that the DUP would even contemplate such steps never mind go through with them.

Richard Ferguson, Dollingstown

——— ———

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers — and consequently the revenue we receive — we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.

Subscribe to newsletter.co.uk and enjoy unlimited access to the best Northern Ireland and UK news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit https://www.newsletter.co.uk/subscriptions now to sign up.

Our journalism costs money and we rely on advertising, print and digital revenues to help to support them. By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website.

Alistair Bushe

Editor