SF do not want the process to work

Gone are the days when they couldn’t get a vote passed, or hope for success in any of their ‘society-changing’ philosophies.

Thanks to the failure of unionist voters at the recent election, the door has been opened to the bile of republican posturing.

They can now stand up, with great displays of arrogance, and call for respect.

Nationalist politicians like Gerry Fitt and John Hume, to mention only two, had the respect of the people because their background was in the political arena and the community they represented was the focus of their political endeavours.

By contrast, Sinn Fein’s MLAs have a very different background, but it appears they are the people everyone has to listen to.

Doug Beattie, in an article in the News Letter (March 31) says “it is almost like Sinn Fein have a gun to everyone’s head”.

Well, years ago, some of them did, literally, and we know what that brought – murder and misery in many homes. But that didn’t work, and now we are to believe that a suit, shirt, and (sometimes) tie, re-constructs a terrorist into a statesman.

Whether the diatribe is delivered in the European Parliament, on RTE, or at Stormont, the mask slips occasionally, and anyone, when that happens, will show their true nature.

If the more disinterested Protestant people of Northern Ireland, who can’t be bothered to get off their comfortable seat, and go out to vote, need any encouragement to understand the perilous position our Province is in, they should think about the Sinn Fein objective.

Nothing would be more effective in getting their attention. The turnout at the next election would certainly be up. If anyone thinks the objective is to get the best opportunities, and equality, for the nationalist/republican people of Northern Ireland, and to see the whole political process working for everybody, they need a lesson in history.

This is about the destruction of Northern Ireland, and, if necessary, the Protestant population!

Should another election become a reality then the Protestant, unionist, population must vote, and a unified unionist campaign will be needed, to gain back any of the ground which was lost recently.

I am all for good middle-of-the-road politics and there is much in the Alliance Party to commend that, but the harsh reality is that the smaller parties (in other words, everybody but the ‘big two’) will not make an impact on the overall situation at the top of the Stormont Assembly.

So wake up people. A reality check is coming.

Gordon McNeill, Portadown