So long as unionists are see as a soft touch compared to republicans, the UK government will continue to walk over them

(His article can be read here: ‘London talks tough about the European Union, but then gives in to them over Northern Ireland’)

He writes: “The pattern seems to be, talk tough and then give in to the EU.” He then poses the question: “on how many other occasions can the government get away with it?”

A large part of the answer is in Kirk McDowell’s letter to the News Letter of October 15 (‘Unionists must walk away from the Belfast Agreement if needs be’).

He contrasted the vigour that Irish nationalists have shown in resisting a hard land border with the limp opposition from political unionism to the Irish Sea border and illustrated this with the following example:

“The contrast in approaches is best represented by DUP minister Edwin Poots allowing his department to cooperate with the implementation of border infrastructure in local harbour ports. A Sinn Fein minister would never have allowed their department to cooperate in any way, with any attempt, to establish a hard land border.”

In other words, Sammy, as long as the two main unionist parties continue to demonstrate that they are a soft touch as compared to republicans, the government will continue to take the line of least resistance and walk over them (and “get away with it” in your own words) to the detriment of the Union.

Margaret Hanna (Mrs)

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