Unionists should unite

For as long as I can remember, unionists in Northern Ireland have been waiting to be let down, (and often they are), by their unionist brothers and sisters in England.

You know how the story goes: a unionist leader — Molyneaux, Trimble, yes and Foster too – hopes that their Prime Minister will stand up for them as the little brother/sister in the UK only to be let down at the last minute ( the Anglo-Irish Agreement, decommissioning after the Belfast agreement and the implementation of Brexit, to name but a few). 

Now there are new kids on the block in the shape of Nigel Farage’s happy band in Reform and the question is to whom should unionists turn? Should they stick with their old allies in the Conservative (and unionist) Party despite all the previous let downs or throw their lot in with the newbies in Reform. 

Back in February Robert Jenrick made the journey over to Belfast to attend a dinner for the redoubtable king of the adjournment debates, DUP MP Jim Shannon. Jenrick on the next morning was taken by the DUP leader Gavin Robinson MP on a tour which included a trip up the Shankill Road, one of the more iconic destinations for unionists and somewhere I am sure Jenrick felt at home with all its loyal murals to King and country. 

A lot was written into this visit and its significance, but what is not commonly known is that Jenrick had been asked to attend the event for Shannon whilst he was still a member of the Conservative party. Fair play to Jenrick — he honoured the invitation when he moved to Reform and no doubt, he was warmly welcomed in Shannon’s constituency of Strangford whatever his party label.

And isn’t that the point — unionists of all persuasions in Northern Ireland should be reaching out and making contact with unionists of all persuasions in mainland UK. 

If the Scottish and Welsh elections results have shown us anything, it is that unionism is fragmented and because of that we have allowed separatists to gain power. This mimics what happened in Northern Ireland at the last assembly election. Due to there being various unionist parties in Northern Ireland and a very strong single republican block in the form of Sinn Fein, they were able to become the largest party for the first time in 2022. 

There is nowhere near a majority in favour of a united Ireland in NI but because SF became the largest party the commentariat went into overdrive as they did in the May elections in Scotland and Wales. There was truly very little mention for example that the SNP vote had fallen significantly and that there was no majority for an independent Scotland when looking at the total votes cast. In Wales, the vote was clearly a rejection of the long-standing control by a Labour Party which has lost its way rather than for an independent Wales — a referendum was certainly not number one on the list of the first things to do in the new Assembly, for Plaid Cmyru. 

For unionists in Northern Ireland, there is a need to look at the bigger picture. Sinn Fein have recently gone into election mode (if they ever leave it) and have adopted the tried and tested tactic of victimhood to the Brits and the DUP. They have declared yet another date for a United Ireland (now it’s 2030) and somehow their voters fall for the same nonsense on every occasion. 

Crumbling infrastructure? Blame the Brits. Can’t agree on a budget? Blame the DUP. Forget about all your cost-of-living problems and look for a United Ireland Referendum. It is the same old same old every time. But, hey, it seems to work so why not. 

It’s time to build alliances and it is not the time to endorse one brand of the right over the other

What unionists need to do is to focus on why the Union works for everyone and to build alliances with our colleagues across the UK. We should not get engaged in telling the voters of GB who to vote for in elections. Instead, we should make those in Reform, the Conservative Party, and all other parties interested in the maintenance of our country aware of the reasons why we can be their best allies in the fight for the soul of the UK. 

It’s time to build alliances and it is not the time to endorse one brand of the right over the other. The Union is too important to be part of factionalism. We should welcome the opportunity to engage with all who believe in the UK and let us hope those of us in NI will not be let down — again.