‘Republican voters take note: can you imagine if Michael Stone stood for election?’

Michael Stone pictured during his last day's at the Maze Prison before his release on 25-07-2000placeholder image
Michael Stone pictured during his last day's at the Maze Prison before his release on 25-07-2000

I wonder what Nationalists/Republicans – and indeed Irish Americans – would feel if convicted terrorist Michael Stone was now selected by a Unionist Party to stand for election; or worse, co-opted as a councillor or MLA.

What would they feel if Protestants voted in their droves for him?

Quite rightly people would be outraged, re-traumatised and insulted by his election.

However, the stark reality is that terrorist Stone is no worse than some Republican MLAs and councillors whom Catholics vote en masse for. Indeed, Stone’s terrorist/criminal CV is mediocre when compared to the terrorist/criminal biography of Martin McGuiness published in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.

Letter to the editorplaceholder image
Letter to the editor

The reality is that no Unionist party would allow Stone in its ranks, and no Protestant would vote for him.

So, the next time so-called God-fearing Catholics cast their vote for the unreformed terrorists who litter our political institutions, they might bear that in mind.

Tom Nash, Derriaghy

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