Letter: The unionist community continues to fool itself that it is part of the United Kingdom

They are now revving up and preparing to take off. Fuelled by a mixture of Tory treachery and DUP duplicity, they will use every trick in their armoury to prod us on board.

The unionist community continues to fool itself that it is part of the United Kingdom despite all the evidence to the contrary. The DUP continues to reinforce this myth.

Are they doing this in ignorance or collaborating? That they continue to peddle the lie is bad enough, that they think we are gullible enough to believe it is insulting.

I refuse to believe the unionist community will fall for their deception – if it does, there really is no hope.

Many in our community are frustrated and there is a very real danger this frustration could spill onto the streets. If it’s not disciplined it could be disastrous.

We are at a crossroads and if we take the wrong turn there may be no way back. There is a grave responsibility on those who exercise influence in our community to provide wise council and effective leadership. We need a leader brave enough to face our community down and tell it the truth.

It is time for all politicians opposed to this to unite and get their act together. They have serious questions to answer and we are about to find out if they are up to it.

Our community is weak and apathetic, and this arrangement was imposed, it wasn’t negotiated. We need leaders who will shake our community up and restore some modicum of dignity and self-respect. They have sat too long, and won’t mix it in the scrum.

Britain has betrayed us and we have to own up to that and adjust our thinking. We may have to accept some bitter and unpalatable truths. We have to re-position ourselves, and ask ourselves serious questions.

The good times are over and things will never be the same. All the old certainties in church and state are being challenged and melting away.

We need leaders who will force us to meet the challenge. Our unionist politicians fooled us into thinking it would go away, and everything was under control – now we know.

We need leaders to knock our community into shape and tell us to stop fooling ourselves, and open up a debate to find a way forward. If we are up to the challenge then we can regroup and negotiate our future - from a position of strength.

Britain has treated us with contempt and want us to participate. They have handed us enough rope to hang ourselves.

Clive Maxwell, Bleary