Robert Wallace: There was a spirit of unionist unity at the Portadown loyalist meeting which I chaired
May I, as the chair of the meeting in Portadown on November 20 (Ben Lowry: Loyalist ‘Betrayal Act’ meeting was packed and angry,’ Nov 23) respond to David McNarry (‘Portadown shows crescendo of peaceful demands,’ Nov 27) and Dr Gerard Morgan (‘We should note the unionist opposition,’ Nov 27 ) to contribute and listen to the genuine concerns from unionists at this latest Betrayal Act
The meeting, as similar meetings across the country, was staged to allow grass root unionists to articulate their concerns and direct their elected representatives as to the policies they wish them to follow.
Dr Morgan is wrong to describe partition as ‘catastrophic’. The creation of Northern Ireland saved us from the fate of the Protestant minority in the (now) Irish Republic. Partition, like more recent agreements, was a compromise settlement later repudiated by Irish nationalism in its insatiable arrogance.
David McNarry is correct about the growing ‘crescendo’ in unionism. The spirit of the meeting was of unity:
• United in rejection of the ‘Betrayal Act’;
• United in rejection of separation between the constituent parts of the UK;
• United in willingness to utilise, in the words of the Covenant, “all means which may be found necessary”.
Both correspondents are astute in their analysis that it would be foolish for government to ignore the clamour.
Robert Wallace, Portadown