Letter: The DUP must stand firm and refuse to nominate Stormont ministers

The unionist electorate have taken the opportunity of the local government election to reaffirm that their main constitutional priority is to seek the removal of the Northern Ireland Protocol, as opposed to the maintenance of devolution. The scale of losses experienced by the Ulster Unionist Party demonstrates that their policy of seeking an immediate restoration of the executive has little appeal within wider unionism.

Despite the executive being down for sixteen months the majority of unionists have chosen to endorse the DUP’s current position not to nominate ministers. The TUV also experienced a small boost in their representation. These facts when read together would suggest that many unionists are actually indifferent to continuation of devolution altogether.

The DUP must now stand firm to the mandate they have been given. They must resist calls to nominate ministers, until such times as Northern Ireland leaves the EU on exactly the same terms as the rest of the UK. Indeed, increasing apathy for devolution now gives the DUP an opportunity to move the protest against the protocol to its next logical stage. This would involve publicly calling for the imposition of direct rule and withdrawing its MLAs from the dysfunctional assembly altogether. The unionist parties should then form a pact stating they will only contest any future assembly elections on an abstentionist platform.

Many in the DUP will be fearful of such a policy arguing that amongst other things that the government may change the rules of the assembly to facilitate a Sinn Fein/Alliance/UUP coalition. Even if the government showed such reckless regard to community relations to allow such changes, it may actually prove counter-productive to those parties who agree to take part.

Realistically, under the current economic climate any future executive will have to make deeply unpopular decisions on such matters as water charges, increased student fees and perhaps even local hospital closures. Austerity goes against the populist instincts of our local parties. Being forced to make such decisions may potentially cause internal fissions, and in Sinn Fein’s case, damage their creditability among crucial left-wing voters in the Irish Republic.

In such circumstances Alliance would lose support from its more unionist oriented voters. The UUP would continue its decline, with the DUP being the most likely beneficiaries. Calling for direct rule may reap rewards for the DUP if they are prepared to sacrifice their assembly salaries in the interim.

Kirk McDowell B.sc., Belfast BT5