Letters: Unionism versus Irish nationalism

Having a life-long affiliation either to unionism or Irish nationalism is I feel quite an absurd position to take.

We've seen with the UK's Brexit policy, that union with Britain now means an existence outside the EU, whereas before 2020 when the UK was theoretically still inside the EU, union with Britain meant being part of the EU.

It's like some people are unionist or nationalist no matter what.

Irish nationalism, I feel, was championed by historical discrimination against Catholics in Ireland during British rule. This discrimination is largely if not wholly absent now, yet Irish nationalism still thrives.

Union with Britain was largely a response to fears that in the event of a united Ireland Protestants would be deprived of their freedoms. These fears are largely unfounded today partly through the decline of the influence of the Catholic Church in Ireland and also through globalisation. Yet unionism still thrives.

Louis Shawcross, Hillsborough