Only the TUV has stood firm on the Union and the greening of Northern Ireland

Whilst the disappointment expressed by Harry Patterson concerning the perceived shift in the Alliance Party’s political allegiance from a soft pro-Union party to a pro-nationalist party (‘What upsets Alliance is unionists showing unity,’ February 12, see link below), is undoubtedly shared by many, this change must be viewed within a wider context.

Since the signing of the Belfast Agreement and the political successes that subsequently flowed to Sinn-Fein/IRA, the whole party-political spectrum in Northern Ireland has visibly shifted ‘green’.

The SDLP has become ‘Sinn Fein-lite’; the Alliance Party has become ‘SDLP-lite’; the UUP has become the ‘New Alliance Party’ and the DUP has become the ‘New UUP’.

As a pro-Union, anti-Belfast Agreement unionist, this ‘green-shift’ prevents me from voting for any of these parties.

Only the TUV has stood firm against the ‘greening’ of NI and the sanitisation of SF/IRA and only a strong vote for the TUV can trigger a reversal of unionist fortunes and save the Union.

Thomas Smyth, Belfast BT4

What upsets Alliance is unionists showing unity

——— ———

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

With the coronavirus lockdowns having had a major impact on many of our advertisers — and consequently the revenue we receive — we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.

Subscribe to newsletter.co.uk and enjoy unlimited access to the best Northern Ireland and UK news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content.

Visit

https://www.newsletter.co.uk/subscriptions

now to sign up.

Our journalism costs money and we rely on advertising, print and digital revenues to help to support them. By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website.

Ben Lowry, Editor