Letter: Spare a thought for the candidates - this is not a normal council election

These are tumultuous times for Northern Ireland. Politically the current atmosphere is toxic with little sign of improvement. Economically the deepening recession cutting into the cost of living is causing serious hardships. Constitutionally, a crisis is developing with gripping uncertainty.

Soon the mood of unionists will be tested in the council elections. So within the prevailing disarray, spare a thought for the courageous candidates. Councils remain resilient bastions of the democratic process.

I cut my political teeth, so to speak, in Ards Borough Council where I learnt to respect the role of councils. I was proud to serve as deputy mayor with George Ennis, mayor. As an instructive learning political arena, it is good grounding.

Given the opening paragraph detailing a litany of today's pressures, it is understandable for the public to be questioning "the point in voting".

Part of the answer is that it is crucial to keep the wheels of local government turning, particularly when Stormont is not functioning.

However, there is an extra valid reason for unionists to turn out and vote. The council election should only be about normal community issues. But there is nothing "normal" about the invasive imposition of the Windsor Framework corrupting all politics.

Instead of the conventional, this election will focus on a number crunching headcount tally of support for or against the framework.

Sinn Fein will not budge from its raison d’etre to fight all elections as encounters with unionists to secure republican ascendancy. Well, so be it, take the engagement to them. Put firmly the blame for the Stormont impasse where it belongs.

My appeal to all generations is turn out to vote for trustworthy candidates. Confirm the high percentage accurately taken in opinion polls showing the resounding rejection of the framework.

In doing so, the unionist leadership will be boosted. The secretary of state will find it impossible to wriggle when presented with a massive unionist message of solidarity on all fronts!

David McNarry

Ex Ulster Unionist MLA, Comber