Letter: The Windsor Framework new trading arrangement is a chance to transform Northern Ireland into a more prosperous, productive country

Everyone in Northern Ireland is at a crossroads.

They must decide if they want a devolved government or some other form of government in which local people would have little direct input.

We have those who wish to portray the Windsor Framework as a loosening of the very fabric of the United Kingdom and the fast track to a united Ireland.

They quote acts, some of which are centuries old, when the reality is very different.

When the voters gave their support to the Good Friday Agreement they passed the future of Northern Ireland to the people here, not local politicians or governments. If a majority in the future vote for a united Ireland that is what would inevitably happen.

What that really meant was that unionists, nationalists and republicans needed to persuade voters who were not from their natural base to support their cause. Instead, some from both sides have spent the last 25 years poking each other in the eye.

Nationalists and republicans have seen little change over the last 50 years in support for a united Ireland despite a terror campaign and intransigent unionists. What unionists have seen is a decline in their votes as more and more voters move to vote for centre parties.

The Windsor Framework was not a fixed agreement it was a skeleton that was to be fleshed out over time.

It has flaws in terms of trade, however in the background negotiators are continually ironing out problems.

It is very unlikely that if all the parties here could agree on the changes required that they would not be resolved, and probably be augmented by additional funds, as the politicians in Brussels and London would like nothing more than to take Northern Ireland off the list of issues where it has been central for over half a century.

Where we are now is that by adopting UK and some EU laws, we have been handed the opportunity to transform Northern Ireland into a more prosperous, productive country with major inward investment and increased exports.

One where our younger generations can look to job opportunities and careers that have not been available for several generations.

Can our elected politicians set aside their differences and work together in an Executive to build a united Northern Ireland?

One where they discuss the economy, health, and education and not lines drawn on a map?

Or will they watch our economy struggle with low productivity and crumbling public services, with decisions being taken elsewhere.

That is the crossroads we all face.

​Irwin Armstrong, Ballymena