“These people are not to be trusted, their interest does not lie in Northern Ireland, their interest is self-interest.” David Ervine
The protocol (in its current form at least) is incompatible with the principles of loyalism. It is a threat to our material wellbeing and our equal citizenship. However, withdrawing the First Minister and damaging the devolved institutions will not remove or alter the protocol. It will damage Northern Ireland and harm everyone who lives here. There are 23 Bills at Committee stage or further including Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) Bill, Period Products (Free Provision) Bill, Domestic Abuse (Safe Leave) Bill, Protection from Stalking Bill, Justice (Sexual Offences and Trafficking Victims) Bill and the Adoption & Children Bill. All this legislation is now at risk as a direct result of the DUP withdrawing the First Minister.
As unionists we need to be making the case for the Union and as loyalists we need to be at the forefront of ensuring the Union works for, and protects, working class people and minorities. The devolved institutions are key tools for this work. If Stormont delivers prosperity and social justice then Northern Ireland works for all of us. Jeffrey Donaldson said withdrawing the First Minister would ‘restore fairness for all’ but much of the legislation that is now at risk would have made NI a fairer place and therefore helped secure our future in the UK. An unstable Stormont contributes to the narrative that presents NI as a failed state.
The resignation of the First Minister impacts public health. The Executive was due to meet on Thursday 10th February to review current restrictions to deal with the pandemic. Without the First Minister in-post the Executive can’t make new decisions and so it is very unlikely any changes will be possible on Thursday. Covid-19 is an evolving situation and it still possible that a new variant arises that might need restrictions to deal with it. In the current situation there is no one to make these decisions. Legislation that would have increased the supply of organs available for transplant (Daíthí’s Bill) is now in jeopardy and the three-year budget will not be approved. The three-year budget would have been particularly helpful to the Department of Health as it would have facilitated multi year plans to deal with the waiting list crisis and reform the health service. The NHS is an important benefit of the Union and the resignation of the First Minister harms this vital service.
Negotiations to resolve the issues with the Protocol are ongoing and it would have been prudent to wait to see the conclusion of this process. The resignation of the First Minister and the resulting harm done to the people of NI and our devolved institutions is unlikely to have much impact on the negotiations. As Jamie Bryson’s legal action around port checks demonstrates, other options are available to disrupt the Protocol. Such actions are of course open to counter legal challenges, but they have the potential to disrupt the Protocol whilst maintaining a functioning devolved government.
The Belfast/Good Friday Agreement is not a journey with a united Ireland outside the UK as the end destination. The Agreement has many flaws, but it was a hard-won peace with loyalists at the frontline of delivering it, taking many risks to do so. It is not perfect and more than 20 years on we are still struggling with poverty and deprivation. However, working within the devolved institutions represents the best route to tackling these problems. The Protocol is a threat to our material wellbeing but bringing down Stormont does nothing to help reduce poverty or deprivation.
There is an election coming up. I urge every loyalist to vote for candidates who will help secure the Union by prioritising prosperity and inclusion and tackling poverty and exclusion. I’m no longer a practicing protestant but a lasting effect of my fundamentalist upbringing is that in times of stress and crisis Bible verses come readily to mind. To any decent person still in the DUP I have this to say, ‘wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate’.
