Letter: Sinn Fein should focus on real issues like education and GP services instead of chasing their constitutional pipe dream
A letter from Victor Warrington:
Sinn Féin’s latest pointless exercise is yet another attempt to push their tired ‘New Ireland’ agenda - this time under the guise of a so-called discussion on ‘Delivering Rural Health and Care in a New Ireland’ in Enniskillen.
The panel featured party president Mary Lou McDonald and the MP for Fermanagh and South Tyrone, Pat Cullen.
Why is such an event needed? It isn’t. It’s nothing more than another Sinn Féin publicity stunt to promote their broken-record narrative that there’s some great momentum towards a united Ireland.
Gloss it up however you like – call it a New Ireland or a United Ireland - the reality remains the same: there is no appetite for it.
Even the British secretary of state confirmed last month that there is no demand for constitutional change at this time.
As someone who regularly uses our health service, I can tell you this. I have no desire to start paying €50–€60 every time I need to see a doctor.
No one objects to practical cross-border cooperation on healthcare. We already see this with the cancer centre in Londonderry providing services to Donegal residents and Northern Ireland patients accessing orthopaedic treatment under the cross-border scheme. That’s sensible cooperation not political grandstanding.
If Sinn Féin’s elected representatives spent less time chasing their constitutional pipe dream and more time addressing the real issues affecting local people like rural neglect in our infrastructure, education and GP services, we might actually see some progress for our communities.
Victor Warrington, UUP councillor, Erne East