Letter: Arson attack in west Belfast is the result of years of political neglect of working-class people

For too long, the genuine concerns of working‑class people have been dismissed, minimised, or treated as an inconvenience by those in positions of authority.

When the TUV raised issues around housing pressures, healthcare access and the pace of demographic change, statutory bodies, local politicians and sections of the media refused even to engage in conversation.

They simply did not want to hear it.

Now, with a shop burnt out and tensions heightened, those same voices have suddenly rushed to the Shankill to express concern.

Let us be absolutely clear: we condemn without reservation the burning of this business.

But condemnation alone is not enough. The truth is that when the political establishment sidelines the only people willing to articulate the concerns of working‑class communities, a dangerous vacuum is created. And when that vacuum is left unfilled, it is all too easily occupied by those with darker motives and destructive agendas.

This is not a new phenomenon - it is a predictable outcome of political failure.

Residents warned of what was happening.

They pointed to Sandy Row, where a once thriving community retail area has been hollowed out and left largely derelict except for a handful of foreign‑owned grocery shops. They feared the same pattern emerging on the Shankill. Instead of listening, the political class chose to sneer, dismiss and ignore.

And now, rather than reflect on their own failures, Stormont parties have descended into the usual tit‑for‑tat blame game.

But the real story is not the finger‑pointing. The real story is that a community asked for dialogue, asked for representation, and asked for action - and was met with silence until crisis forced attention.

If Northern Ireland is to move forward, then the voices of working‑class people must be heard when they speak, not only when something burns.

Councillor Ron McDowell, TUV deputy leader