Letter: Nigel Farage knows there’s no life in a unionist corpse - Ulster is a sideshow, not the main event
A letter from Clive Maxwell:
Britain betrayed unionism and hung it out to dry - and nothing has changed.
Nigel Farage is the latest in a long line; his mask slipped building bridges to power. Ulster is not high on his Richter scale of importance; we’re just a small tremor – he has other priorities and we’re at the bottom of the pile.
This tribune of the people dipped his toe in the waters of Ulster politics to further his own career, and weaponise it against the government; but it was just an irritant to annoy them.
On the cusp of power, we’re useful to have if needed - useful to tap if other wells run dry; easy to carry and easier to drop.
For a politician, in his push for power, there is nothing sacred and everyone is fair game. Nigel is a Tory by instinct and has their genetic makeup.
Searching for life, he has his finger on the pulse of public opinion, and knows where the votes are - there’s no life in a unionist corpse. Ulster is a sideshow, not the main event, and viewed with that in mind.
Unionists, alert to the treachery of British politicians, saw Nigel as the great white hope, but their faith in him is in question. Immigration is now front page and Ulster a sideshow.
Nigel will go with the flow and bend to that wind. Sensitive to the vote and public opinion, Ulster is an irritant he can do without, and adds nothing to his profile in his quest for power.
Lacking leadership, we have lost the capacity to help ourselves and the respect we earned in the past.
Our fathers warned Britain that Ulster betrayed would be a thorn in their side, they backed it up and forced Britain to retreat. We’ve turned full circle, and once again looking down the barrel of another British betrayal - the payback is arriving every day by boat and tearing Britain apart.
We can only hope, and pray, that leaders will emerge in Ulster to promote our culture and learn from a past covered by the weeds of our neglect. We need to act and promote a tradition of self-help and regain some measure of the self-respect we have lost.
Nigel needs ammunition to further his career. We need to make him an offer he can’t refuse, or he’ll take bids from others; and cast us adrift without a paddle.
Clive Maxwell, Bleary