The jostling begins as prospective leaders jockey for pole position. We can already see that Emma Pengelly appears to be well stationed to make at least deputy leader but is the male dominated, male oriented DUP ready to fully accept a female leader?
The truth as I see it is that the DUP will implode. They have no-one strong enough to keep the party together in any formidable way.
Yet what could be an opportunity for the UUP will prove wasted, as Mike Nesbitt has neither the talent nor credibility to take proper advantage of the DUP’s troubles. The end result will be a continual and marked decline in unionist strength which will eventually lead to the collapse of an already facile and discredited Stormont.
Cue the unionist paramilitaries.
Political confusion will fan the flickering flames of unionist bigotry which will again entice both the UVF and UDA back onto the streets of Belfast, Co Antrim, north Down and north Armagh. Yet it won’t be as widespread or relevant as before, as unionism is now too weak to engender and sustain protests such as those which occurred at the time of the Anglo-Irish Agreement.
What we are now witnessing is the beginning of the final decline of unionist power.
Approximately 18 months after Robinson’s departure, the politics of the Six Counties will be in greater turmoil. This will benefit (eventually) the wider nationalist community who should now begin to place ever greater emphasis upon the structures and powers of the councils, so that a solid framework is set in place to deal with the inevitable collapse of Stormont and decades of unionist misrule. Tick...tock.
ANTAN O DALA AN RI
Newry, Co Down
Isolation of Isis from rest of combatants should be goal for world powers
The tragic terrorist incidents in Paris have truly shocked the world with the horror of how some presumably educated people brought up in western Europe can be brainwashed to commit such acts of inhumanity causing death and suffering to so many innocent people. It is a terrible reflection on our present day world.
Having lived in Northern Ireland throughout the 1770s, 1980s and 1990s when all too frequently deeds of a similar nature were inflicted by people who otherwise shared much in terms of their culture and basic religion we in Northern Ireland have moved on. There are lessons from the Northern Ireland experience and reason to conclude there has been considerable success resolving problems as a result of all sides coming forward in a spirit of compromise and renunciating the use of force.
What has been happening in the Middle East, in Iraq, Libya and now Syria, prompts concern for longer term horrendous repercussions. Without rehearsing past rights and wrongs but concentrating now on the immediate situation we must recognise the plight of hundreds of thousands of people, including children, who have become homeless, and ended up in camps in Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon, and other places. There are many thousands of refugees still trying to escape the violence inflicted from various quarters. Yet the infiltration of bands of particularly evil-minded people to do their dirty deeds in Europe (such as what happened in Paris) has become an inevitability. We don’t know how many individuals bent on further terrorist acts are now in place in west European countries.
There is currently some dialogue taking place, such as President Obama talking to President Putin at the end of G20 Conference, Secretary of State Kerry talking to his Russian counterpart and EU leaders. But the question remains: what if any, solution can emerge? The signs are not promising for a practical consensus and plan of action.
A comprehensive solution to the refugee problem will require a coordinated effort and a tempering of earlier positions. The major powers who currently support one faction or the other need to reach a common consensus. Accordingly this must involve some sort of understanding in relation to the Asaad regime (at least on a transitional basis) to ensure some stability for common action in the area. A compromise approved by Russians, US, Iran, Turkey and other nations can be achieved which would in due course encourage people from Syria and Iraq to return to their homes. It will require the defeat of Isis. There needs as well to be financial contribution by all major powers to rebuild the war-torn economies of Syria and Iraq. The isolation of Isis from rest of the combatants should be the goal
of all.
All this will require telling pressure being brought on the Assad regime to establish a ceasefire so as to allow concentration on Isis. Simply to demand that Asaad go from office now is unrealistic – the longer term outcome is another matter. Such a course of action would also help win a UN resolution authorising military action. While this scenario may seem problematic it should be borne in mind that the situation in Syria (and parts of Iraq) is so dreadful that the consequence of failure to reach consensus is unthinkable.
LORD DILJIT RANA
Chairman and Chief Executive of Andras House Group, Belfast
North’s legacy of bitterness
Dr David Malley (November 10) asked if the government of the Republic had stated at the time of the Good Friday Agreement if they had, in essence, an interest in unification of this island.
Some people may be surprised to learn that the Irish government relinquished all their ambitions in that regard when in February 1924 the Irish leader WT Cosgrave along with Mr Craig and Mr Churchill attended the London Conference of the boundary commission.
The outcome of this discourse was that the Free State surrendered all the hard won rights that had been given to Northern nationalists at the time of partition. The border stayed in place – subsequently reinforced by Irish custom and border controls.
The quid pro quo was that the Free State was released from its debt to the British nation.
Northern Ireland became firmly established and the false idea that the Irish nation consisted of 26 counties was sold to a credulous Irish people.
The Dublin government turned its back on the northern Catholic nationalists who were left to the tender mercy of the unionist government. And today we are left with a legacy of bitterness
So the answer to the question is that in reality, they have been actively disinterested since 1924.
PATRICK SMITH
Comber, Co Down
Entertaining but not accurate
I am a loyal reader of Newton Emerson, reliably insightful and always interesting. In a media climate that is downcast The Irish News has bucked the trend and I believe Newton is a vital ingredient in the secret recipe this paper has found to drive sales and conversation.
However, I must take issue with him (November 5) – Peter Robinson is many things but he is not sectarian.
He said the hero of Castlereagh does not have a sectarian bone in his body “to a surprisingly broad degree”. He gave two reasons for this belief. One, Peter Robinson never joined the loyal orders, and two, Robinson never joined the Free Presbyterian Church.
This I have to politely disagree with. You don’t have to be in Paisley’s church or a marcher to be sectarian. Regardless, the former MP is an accomplice to sectarianism by association. The DUP espoused vicious and virulent sectarianism, so how can a vital and founding member be
non-sectarian?
However, my main issue is, he said Robinson had no experience of IRA violence. The First Minister did suffer “a horrendous trauma at the hands of the IRA”. Peter Robinson is on record as stating that the murder of his close friend by the IRA is what sparked his political awakening and shunted him into front-line politics.
As for this column, yes to entertaining, no to accuracy.
BRIAN JOHN SPENCER
Belfast BT8
