A Tangled Web

Sleepwalking Into a Nightmare



My recent exhortation in the Belfast Telegraph for the pro-Union people to come out and vote has, unfortunately, not been heeded. The seven parliamentary constituencies with the highest voter turnout all have nationalist/republican MP's. There is even a rumour that the turnout in republican South Armagh was almost 80%: in leafy Unionist North Down it was 38%.



If there is a differential between voter participation in the two principal constituencies, does it indicate a 'devil-may-care' attitude amongst Unionists? There are grounds for arguing that point. Nonetheless, I feel that the disastrous turnout is a result of years of largely second-rate MP's (of both the Ulster Unionist and Democratic Unionist variety) sacrificing the essential interests of the Unionist people to further their aspirations on the ladder of 'career politics.'



Demographically, the community profile of Northern Ireland could not be clearer. The 2001 Census effectively ruled out any prospect of a Catholic majority in the future, let alone a majority for an end to the Union. That said, should the Unionist people be continually failed by amateurish munchkins masquerading as political representatives, they could sleepwalk themselves into a scenario where Irish separatism wins the majority of votes cast in future elections. I suggest both main Unionist parties comprehend that fact before contemplating any Faustian pacts to put Sinn Fein/IRA back in the Stormont driving seat - whatever titular guise these pacts come under.