David McNarry: Ordinary unionists want a united front against the Northern Ireland protocol

A letter from David McNarry:
By David McNarry
Published 25th Jan 2021, 11:43 BST
Updated 25th Jan 2021, 12:42 BST
Prime minister Boris Johnson celebrates his Brexit deal with the EU on December 24 2020. But David McNarry says that a strong majority of unionists did not vote for Northern Ireland to remain in the EU or be betrayed by the prime minister by being forced into Brussels controlPrime minister Boris Johnson celebrates his Brexit deal with the EU on December 24 2020. But David McNarry says that a strong majority of unionists did not vote for Northern Ireland to remain in the EU or be betrayed by the prime minister by being forced into Brussels control
Prime minister Boris Johnson celebrates his Brexit deal with the EU on December 24 2020. But David McNarry says that a strong majority of unionists did not vote for Northern Ireland to remain in the EU or be betrayed by the prime minister by being forced into Brussels control

Sam McBride’s Exocet article on Saturday was complemented in the same day’s lead letter by by Reg Empey hammering Arlene Foster.

(Sam McBride’s article can be read here ‘Shackled to Brexit, Arlene Foster can’t admit that it has been disastrous for Union’ and Lord Empey’s letter here ‘The Irish Sea border is outrageous, and the DUP leader still fails to accept her role in it’)

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Given the political ramifications which Lord Empey dutifully explains and the licence-to-kill journalism which Mr Mc Bride displays, both gentlemen make important statements which cannot be ignored.

Letter to the editorLetter to the editor
Letter to the editor

Neither the DUP or the UUP have succeeded in making the protocol a dead letter. Being the lead party, it is incomprehensible that the DUP have not produced a shared strategy which is capable of defying and overturning the protocol.

Where in a matter of weeks have the ‘make the best of it’ protocol cheerleaders vanished to? The best of both worlds idealism does not stack up.

By a strong majority unionists did not vote to remain in the EU or be betrayed by Boris Johnson by being forced into Brussels control. But unionists leaders are allowing nationalists to wallow in the delight that the NI Protocol brings a border poll closer.

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The two articles on Saturday represented sensible discussion pieces, but there is still the question of where unionists should go with a Brexit which isn’t Brexit and an NI Protocol which isn’t British.

Ordinary pro Union supporters drawn from a wide and varied spectrum want to hear their leaders state publicly to London and Brussels where unionism stands on the protocol.

The opening salvo from such a unionist united front to the prime minister should be that the NI Protocol does not work for unionists, consequently it will not work for all of Northern Ireland.

David McNarry, Comber

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Related topics:Arlene FosterNI ProtocolDUPNorthern IrelandBrexit