Letter: Morning View and Ben Lowry are wrong about the 1998 Belfast Agreement

I find myself in an odd and unusual position - I don’t agree with or like Ben Lowry’s piece and the Morning View in Saturdays paper (April 8, see links below).

Morning View lauds the success of the 1998 deal citing things like the principle of consent – something which has proved to be utterly worthless and can and has been ignored when it suits. It then lauds the key players including Blair and presumably his side deals including pardons for on the runs - exclusively republicans. Everything that has flowed from 1998 has been a one way street – concession after concession to republicans. Trimble, Empey and barge pole John Taylor deserve no plaudits in my opinion, they achieved nothing for unionism. It seems that we should have accepted anything so we wouldn’t be terrorised anymore. ‘Say yes and say it loud’ said the News Letter in 1998, not the paper’s finest moment in my opinion.

Then we have Ben Lowry telling us of his fond memories of 1998. He then proceeds to point out the many flaws in the deal! Not one point in his article is a positive for the deal with the possible exception that it did away with the 1985 Anglo Irish Agreement, if that was all unionism gained that’s one hell of a bad deal. Sinn Fein accepted Stormont because they could see it as a stepping stone to their goal of a united Ireland. Eire dropping its territorial claim to NI meant what exactly? They wouldn’t think of invading us anymore? Ben may have been in London, I wasn’t – I was here the whole of my 66 years. I don’t remember 1998 with fondness and I don’t admire the ‘key’ players. Maybe in a few years we should remember Protocol 1 and 2 with fondness Ben?

Harry Patterson, Castlecaulfield

Ben Lowry (April 18): For all the flaws in how the Belfast Agreement has panned out, I still recall 1998 with fondness

Morning View (April 8): This is a time to remember the successes of the 1998 Belfast Agreement