Letter: The drift away from unionist parties doesn’t say much of the opinions of the unionist community with regard to voting for them

Mr William McFarland was correct in his comments of our unionist politicians (‘The drift away from unionist parties doesn’t say much of the opinions of the unionist community with regard to voting for them,’ May 20, see link below).

The politicians were elected to serve the voters not themselves. Who would come out to vote for a party that tells the electorate after an election that they wont be taking their seats at Stormont? The DUP lacks leadership in a party divided due to the ‘old guard’ who dictate their own policies of years past. I look at Jim Shannon and his honesty and how humble he is then we have our climate change expert Sammy Wilson and our travel expert Ian Paisley amongst others who embarrass unionism. Maybe if we had a policy that if an elected politician refuses to take their seat then the runner-up takes it be it Westminster or Stormont.

The drift away from unionist parties doesn’t say much of the opinions of the unionist community regarding voting for them. For years the unionist voters have been taken for granted and now Sinn Fein have become the largest party in Stormont and local government it is just reward for the DUP'S take it for granted votes strategy along with its everybody else who are wrong. If you're going to deny democracy then don’t stand in elections.

The politics of fear and arrogance have run their course that the the unionist people are saying, ‘we don’t fall for that anymore and why vote for a party that thinks only about itself’.

Raymond McCord, Victims campaigner Nth Belfast

Letter: The drift away from unionist parties doesn’t say much of the opinions of the unionist community with regard to voting for them