Opinion

Whether we like it or not the Northern Ireland protocol is here to stay

Ian Paisley was a real leader of Ulster unionism. After the Anglo-Irish Agreement and the Good Friday Agreement he was able to call more than 100,000 unionists onto the streets at a moment’s notice. He had a voice, demeanour and charisma that spoke to something deep inside the unionist people. He also had an uncanny ability to read the unionist mood. While he threatened all sorts of mayhem after each of these events the London and Dublin governments ignored him and went on with their plans.

Arlene Foster, who couldn’t lead a lodge down a lane, and couldn’t call 100 unionists to the city hall, has now decided to threaten the EU (population 500 million without the UK) and British governments (population 66 million without NI) over the NI Protocol. If the protocol is not revoked the DUP will not attend the North South Ministerial Council. I imagine London and Dublin will be quaking in their boots.

Grandiose ideas is one of the first signs of mental instability, and it is clear that the DUP are suffering from something if they think that London and Brussels are going back to the negotiating table because 500,000 unionists disagree.


The protocol is here to stay and all of us, whether we like it or not, just have to deal with it. History has a habit of moving on and those who are not willing to move with the times are left behind. Nothing is static and evolution, in nature and in politics, is a fact of life. People and parties that do not or can not change get left in the evolutionary wasteland.

If we play ball and make this transition work, we can be reasonably sure that the EU will pour billions into Northern Ireland.


After Covid-19, when the UK comes to realise how broke it is, our £12bn-a-year Block Grant may become too heavy a burden to pay for an outdated bothersome province.


To the EU, with a huge economy, the Block Grant would be a pittance and a cheap price to pay to keep the integrity of the Internal Market.


Maybe for once Northern Ireland should keep its mouth shut and play the long game.

TURLOUGH QUINN


Portglenone, Co Antrim

Cutting the mustard

IAM delighted to see that the MP for my constituency, Ian Paisley, is keeping alive the grand old tradition of entertaining the honourable members at Westminster by serving up another example of an Irish ‘bull’.


Master of mixed metaphor that he is (‘Tea and sympathy will not cut the mustard’), I’m sure he will forgive me if I suggest a few more examples with which he might pepper his next argument, and which he might like to take with a pinch of salt – provided, of course, that he is prepared to rattle some feathers and perhaps grate up some of his colleagues the wrong way.

On the question of the Northern Ireland Protocol, rather than wade through a mountain of red tape, he might take the horns of the bull by the scruff of its neck and remind the honourable members that, in Ulster, when the alligators are in the water, unionists tend to circle the wagons, It’s as plain on the egg on their face, that the protocol has opened a veritable Pandora’s box of worms and the verbal agreement with Boris Johnson is not worth the paper it is written on.

He might further remind the prime minister – to whom the DUP were formerly married at the hip – that fine words butter no turnips and the fickle finger of fate may once again rear its ugly head in the form of loyalist demonstrations. It doesn’t take rocket surgery to realise that the former alliance with the Conservative party has crumbled like ice cream and attempts to repair it would be akin to locking the stable door after the nuts have bolted.

But courage, Ian.  Nil desperandum.  There is light at the end of the rainbow.


You have raised the debate to new depths and with all cylinders flying, as is your usual want, fairly and squarely put your finger on the nail and reminded your English audience that an Irish ‘bull’ is always pregnant.

FRANK ROGERS


Ballycastle, Co Antrim

Snapshot of present day life

Spare a thought for the loyalist graffiti writers. Never judge anyone until you have walked a gable wall in their trainers and hoody - in darkness - spray can in hand. This snapshot of present day life shows us that many of the loyalist graffiti writers have a poor grasp of the English language.

Around Newtownards at present there are numerous gable walls adorned with hate-filled warnings – ‘Remove Irish Sea Boarder’, or ‘We deseremore’ which appears to have been hastily changed to spell ‘deserve’ minus a space between ‘deserve’ and ‘more’. But my favourite so far has to be ‘Hans of are we contry’. Needless to say this one was quickly painted over and no doubt the graffiti artist was put into self-isolation and made to watch Countdown on catchup.

Maybe misspelling works. People point at the slogans and laugh. One certainly remembers them, if only to smile. Or, is it time for the die hard loyalist graffiti writers to raid a newsagent’s shop and commandeer a thesaurus in the name of Ulster? Of course, that might end up leaving the wannabe defenders of the union holding a cuddly dinosaur.

ANGUS SMYTH


Newtownards, Co Down

Segregated education is not normal

Recent events have shown how much we still need to do in Northern Ireland to have a peaceful shared non-sectarian society.

There is an increasing number of people here who do not wish to be labelled unionist or nationalist and who want to live, work and socialise together.

Repeated polls show that a majority of parents would like their children to be educated together – segregated education is not normal.

Integrated schools are over-subscribed and in many areas there is no available  integrated school.

The Covid crisis has entailed enormous costs for government and there will have to be savings in all government departments in the future.

Having separate controlled and maintained schools involves duplication in school premises, administration,transport and many other expenses.

Parents can vote to have their school integrated and their children will grow up free from our divided society.

MARGARET MARSHALL


Belfast BT8