Unionism is far from delusional '“ it's stronger

Quite the contrary.

While I would tend to agree that mainstream political unionism has let people down in recent years on a number of fronts, I would contend that rather than the cause of unionism being “done” as he put it, it has never been more relevant.

Unionism in the purest understanding of the term is a wish to maintain and advance this United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and grow its influence on the world stage.

Our exit from the EU and developing relationships with other nations should and can be that opportunity.

Unionism isn’t and should never be defined by parochial debates or an ourselves alone mentality.

Some 17.4 million people across this nation voted leave and chose this Union, the United Kingdom, over participating in a failing, Soviet-like EU super-state.

In an independent United Kingdom outside the EU, maintaining the Union has never been more important.

The UK must establish itself again as the strong, independent trading nation on the world stage it should be.

It can only do this as a truly United Kingdom.

Maybe some have lost sight of it but ‘unionism’ exists well beyond Ulster.

This was never more evident than the referendum on Scottish independence, when there was a definitive vote in favour of maintaining the Union.

It is perhaps an inconvenient reality to some, but the Leave vote in June last year proved beyond doubt that rather than being “done,” UK wide unionism is alive and well.

John Montgomery, UKIP, Northern Ireland