Walking away from political office in protest has not worked for unionists in the past and will not work now

Time and again, I keep seeing the suggestion that unionism needs to walk out of the executive or the assembly in response to whatever the prevailing ill is.

Today that is the economic disaster and constitutional vandalism that is the Northern Ireland protocol (‘This is the last chance to make a stand for principle of consent,’ November 13).

This is a real issue that unionism needs to tackle. We need something big to attract attention to it, but the idea of a walk out is so fundamentally poor that I have to address it.

Historically this hasn’t worked for us at all, after the Anglo-Irish Agreement, all unionist MPs called by-elections and for the first time Newry and Armagh did not return a unionist MP and has failed to do so ever since.

The assembly situation is even worse. We’ve already lost the majority, a further seven or nine seats would be given to nationalists, possibly losing other seats in the east of the province, putting the petition of concern out of reach. Simply abstaining from assembly business would ensure a nationalist majority and no unionist petition of concern.

But surely if we walk from the executive it all collapses? No. Thanks to the New Decade New Approach deal, ministers can stay in post for nearly a year if the executive falls, without the assembly or committees to scrutinise them.

We got the Northern Ireland protocol when we had no executive and no assembly. I struggle to see how we would get a better deal with a nationalist dominated assembly and executive.

Joshua Lowry, Bessbrook

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