Trevor Clarke: Focus on border by Irish nationalism is political opportunism, underwritten by a threat of violence

But the stunt carried out by Sinn Fein on Saturday prompts questions for ‘civic nationalism’, who surely didn’t support the IRA’s anti-unionist terrorism on the frontier and wouldn’t support such violence in the future. So:

Who’s threatening a ‘hard’ border?

‪Who’s suggesting its existence will lead to terrorism?‬

Who will carry out the terrorism?‬

Aided by whom?

On who’s behalf?‬

Remarkably there is little challenge on these points in the many media debates on Brexit and the Irish/UK border. It is instead accepted as a given that republican violence will ‘just happen’ because of opposition to the outcome of a democratic vote and the denial of constitutional reality.

A republican from a century ago said “England’s difficulty is Ireland’s opportunity”. That view remains today. The focus on the border by Irish nationalism is nothing other than political opportunism, underwritten by a threat of violence.

Anyone committed to peace and democracy, respect and equality, would reject this and get on with finding a way of delivering Brexit that threatens no one.

Trevor Clarke, DUP councillor, Coleraine