Unionists should not accept Sinn Féin as a legitimate party

IT may come as a surprise to some to realise that Ulster people are not stupid.

In November each year, our political leaders attend Remembrance Day services, and some attend the Cenotaph in London for the same purpose. At these services, they celebrate the defeat of fascism in Europe, not least in Britain, and rightly so. By so doing, they are distancing themselves from violent philosophies and activities that have plunged countless families into indescribable grief.

But it is ironic, is it not, to see our ‘very British politicians’ not just contemplating going into power-sharing government in Northern Ireland with the representatives of fascism in our country, PIRA/Sinn Féin, but have made plans to do so. They are now preparing to jump into bed with terrorist killers, and hope the people of Northern Ireland will not notice, and therefore give them their support.

What hypocrisy. It is unbelievable to even imagine that our politicians who stood foursquare against terrorism in all its pernicious forms will now pretend there are now no terrorists in Northern Ireland, and go into government with a party with which, publicly at least, they do not speak. The people of this country will not tolerate such a thing. Their loved ones fought, and many died, in order to save our land from fascist domination.

Now our erstwhile defenders are saying ‘we got it all wrong and that fascism is not that bad after all. If fascism was that bad, would we be going into government with PIRA/SF? We want to move forward with PIRA/SF, because we now see them as worthy candidates for ministerial responsibility, and Mr Blair was quite correct when he commended PIRA/ASF leadership for what they have achieved. So trust us. We know best. We have a mandate from you to do what we are doing.’

Are we to take it that our political leaders have been voted in by us to go into government with PIRA/SF? Is that what we voted for? If they do go into joint and equal government with PIRA/SF, they are not doing it in my name.

When you go down this road, you are not taking the bulk of decent people with you — you go it alone. Sensible unionists will not follow any party that accepts PIRA/SF as a legitimate political party, irrespective of its electoral mandate. In any case, what real value does a mandate have? Is Zimbabwe leader Robert Mugabe’s mandate valid? To be consistent, our unionist politicians would answer yes. Was Hitler’s, or Saddam Hussein’s, or Pol Pot’s, etc? Again, our political leaders would answer with a consistent yes.

What has gone so wrong with the thinking of our one-time sensible politicians? What carrot has been dangled in front of them that would force them to change their minds? The promise of ministerial office, together with minister limousine and other perks? A handsome salary? The prospect of decision-making power? The achievement of personal ambition at any price? A super-inflated ego?

Please, tell us what has brought about such a radical change. Is the truth of the matter not that the unionist electorate has exchanged one ‘push-over’ unionist party for another? Let it be said, in case there is any misunderstanding, that what we now have is, at best, no different from the 1998 Agreement, because it still admits PIRA/SF to the government of Northern Ireland, and at worst, an agreement that guarantees a place in that government, by right, for PIRA/SF. In addition, we have the unenviable prospect of Martin McGuinness being in charge of victims’ issues.

If I have read the situation wrongly, and the IRA and SF are not elements of a composite organisation, but are separate organisations, then it is quite logical for democratic politicians to do business with SF, once the IRA has gone. Are the North’s politicians now accepting that SF is not the IRA? That seems to be the case. What then has become of all that rhetoric of years ago that slammed SF as another name for the IRA? When did the transition take place for SF, and when did it sever its links with the IRA? To the best of my knowledge this has not been done, so the situation is as it was, despite what our political leaders are telling us.

Dr J E Hazlett Lynch

Director

West Tyrone Voice

Moyle Road

Newtownstewart

Co Tyrone