The 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, time for the UK to declare independence from the EU

On the evening of the 4th of July, 1776 a County Tyrone man, John Dunlap would print around 200 copies of the Declaration of Independence after it was written for distribution across the 13 colonies of America.  These were single sided posters and often referred to as Dunlap Broadsides. 

Many of the founding fathers of the United States including John Dunlap were Ulster-Scots from what is now Northern Ireland.

The Declaration of Independence although it has no legal standing is still a wonderful document and should be read by everyone who believes in democracy.

To me the most important section is “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed, by their Creator, with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.- That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, that whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles, and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate, that governments long established, should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shown, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed.”

In 2026 sadly we in Northern Ireland are now subject to the same abuses as that faced by our American cousins 250 years ago, namely being treated as if we are a colony of the European Union and taxed without any representation. Undemocratically having to follow corrupt EU laws we don’t make and can’t change.

With that in mind I can really appreciate what the Declaration of Independence agreed by the 13 American colonies truly meant.  I just cannot understand and it breaks my heart how some so called Unionists are happy to be protocol and its framework implementers that is denying us the basic right that “governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.” In 2016 the UK voted as a whole to leave the EU and consent was never given by the people to leave Northern Ireland undemocratically under EU control.

I believe that we need Unionist unity and the commitment to sovereign UK law with independence from the EU as was the aim of Brexit 10 years ago.  The result needs to be similar to the objectives as expressed in the Declaration of Independence “But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object, evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government, and to provide new guards for their future security.”

If the ideas of freedom and liberty still mean anything today as they did on the 4th of July, 1776 and “When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands” how can we be happy to accept anything less under an evil and corrupt European Union in 2026.

Happy 250th American Independence Day, lets get Brexit done with our own independence from the EU.

Stevan Patterson, Castlederg Co. Tyrone, Northern Ireland, UK.