Unionists in Northern Ireland have a true friend in Ben Habib
A letter from Harry Patterson:
Saturday’s News Letter (June 18, see links below) was particularly interesting in that it contained pieces and comments by Jim Allister, Sir Jeffrey Donaldson and Doubg Beattie.
Sir Jeffrey would appear to be laying the ground for a return to Stormont thus enabling a Sinn Fein/IRA first minister.
He has appointed a number of DUP MLAs to engage with other parties and the civil service to look at a future programme for government — this may be a tactic to placate any Tory MPs who are thinking of voting against the proposed anti protocol legislation.
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But I fear that it is a sign that the DUP’s position is weakening and they are looking for a reason to get back into Stormont as soon as possible.
He has time also to suggest that fractured unionism is to blame for the loss of three unionist seats — unionism is fractured because of poor leadership, even poorer judgment and lack of foresight by principally the DUP but not forgetting the UUP.
Mr Beattie in response to Maroš Šefčovič’s comments says that any checks on goods coming from Great Britain to Northern Ireland would not be acceptable to the UUP. Pity he did not think of this when him and his party voted in Stormont to implement the out workings of the protocol. Better late than never Doug.
Mr Allister urges the DUP to be wary and he can see that their position is already weakening.
But it is Ben Habib (‘Protocol is a con,’ June 15, see link below) who as usual cuts to the chase and rightly states that the Northern Ireland Protocol bill is sleight of hand and does not advance the unionist cause or case.
Unionists never had a more insightful or truer friend than Ben Habib — heed him and what he says, he has no self interest and has indeed put up his own money to support our case.
Pity he wasn’t leader of the DUP.
Harry Patterson, Castlecaulfield
• Jeffrey Donaldson: Government’s Bill ‘will remove long shadow of Northern Ireland Protocol’
• Esmond Birnie: Why the Protocol status quo is not beneficial to Northern Ireland