Letter: Unionism needs to be pluralist, not to turn voters away from it

Be assured, this correspondent is as concerned about the impact of last week’s election results on the future of the Union as anybody, but I wish to make a few random observations nonetheless. Back in May 2018, the then DUP leader Arlene Foster addressed a high-powered conference in London in which she described unionism as a pluralistic and multi-cultural concept.

Maybe on the mainland, but not over here, the most recent example of which was the prominent role of an exclusively Protestant institution in the Northern Ireland centenary celebrations. Additionally, it is disturbing that some of our leaders continue to think that making Northern Ireland ungovernable is preferable to proving that this region can be a political and economic success.

And, has anyone considered that those who didn’t vote last Thursday are likely to have included those most impacted by the cost-of-living crisis, recession and waiting lists? Furthermore, if unionists were disproportionately energised to vote, in comparison to nationalists, maybe the Windsor Framework Document is not perceived as such a threat to the Union after all? Meanwhile the DUP is congratulating itself on holding all of their seats but, as Sinn Fein pushes boundaries, unionism remains stagnant. Because it was crazy to reject Teresa May's Withdrawal Agreement and side with the European Reform Group of Brexiteer Tory MPs who ultimately betrayed us.

Let’s be candid, had it not been for the Troubles, we would have been in this position thirty years ago but, we are where we are, and sectarian unity should not be our knee-jerk response. Because that should be pluralism, diversity and inclusiveness instead of turning prospective new voters away. And, finally, our politicians need to pay less attention to which broadcaster covers the Twelfth of July and focus on how to win the increasingly inevitable future border poll.

Alan S. Carson, Castlereagh BT5