Letter: Those who operate Stormont are implementing the very thing that is dismantling the Union
A letter from Richard Ferguson:
Owen Polley (Worst of Stormont exposed by Windsor Framework vote, December 16) is quite correct that the vote last Tuesday, that Articles 5-10 of the Windsor Framework should continue to apply in Northern Ireland, was indeed a charade.
Essentially MLAs voted to continue to accept vassal status as rule takers for a foreign power in over 300 areas of law - laws which Stormont does not make and cannot change.
Of course, for nationalists the prize for this surrender of control is that in these 300 areas Northern Ireland will be governed by the very same laws as the Irish republic.
The key point for unionism, however, is that Stormont is the vehicle by which these EU/ROI laws are implemented in Northern Ireland.
Put very plainly, Stormont is bound to implement the NI Protocol/Windsor Framework, therefore those who operate Stormont are implementing the very thing that is dismantling the Union.
On this basis Ben Habib (All unionist assembly members should boycott upcoming sham protocol vote, December 6) is quite correct to state that the DUP is no longer a unionist party.
In restoring the NI Executive the DUP deliberately chose power sharing and enjoying the spoils of office with IRA/SF over maintaining the Union.
They did so knowing the price to pay was implementing the protocol and that Northern Ireland would never again be an integral part of the United Kingdom.
Given how much time they have wasted since, speaking Irish, playing camogie and congratulating GAA teams, while Northern Ireland continues to slide out of the Union, the continued application of EU/ROI law is hardly likely to be a cause for much concern to the DUP.
Richard Ferguson, Dollingstown