For all Peter Robinson’s sales pitch for the DUP, the party’s negligence helped lead to the Irish Sea border — which it is implementing

In his latest sales pitch for the DUP (‘Doug Beattie should say to where he wants UUP voters to transfer,’ October 1, see link below) Peter Robinson asserts that he will “vote DUP then for all other candidates who oppose the Northern Ireland Protocol”.

As he seems oblivious to the inherent contradiction of his position let me remind Mr Robinson that it was the DUP’s negligence that brought about the protocol in the first place and it is their ongoing acquiescence and facilitation of the implementation of the protocol that sustains it.

If the DUP are truly opposed to the protocol they would have withdrawn from the NI Executive and Assembly months ago with a commitment to never return until NI’s constitutional position within the United Kingdom has been fully restored.

Instead they are engaged in self-serving posturing ahead of an election in a vain attempt to dupe unionists voters into giving them a mandate to continue sharing power with SF/IRA and to preside over the outworking of the protocol and destruction of the Union.

I for one will not be transferring my vote to any candidate that has shown a willingness to weaken the Union through their deeds or by their ineffective opposition to the Northern Ireland Protocol.

Thomas Smyth, Belfast, BT4

Peter Robinson: Doug Beattie should say to where he wants UUP voters to transfer

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