Veteran Unionist lambasts unbridgeable flaws of St Andrews

Thus spoke veteran Londonderry Unionist William Ross at a recent rally in the East Belfast constituency of embattled DUP leader Peter Robinson organised by Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV) leader Jim Allister to highlight the failure of mandatory coalition.

The Dungiven man told supporters that the TUV was a bulwark against the "roaring torrent of spin, abuse and misdirection thrown at the Unionist people" since the adoption of power-sharing with Sinn Fin.

Mr Ross, who served 27 years as MP for Londonderry and latterly East Londonderry, is now President of the sole anti-agreement Unionist party.

Speaking at the public meeting in Albertbridge Road Orange Hall Mr Ross said: "It is certain that those who have fallen so far below the high standards they proclaimed have done grave damage to the image and standing of Ulster Unionist politics.

"One of the reasons for the existence of this Party is to restore the integrity and standards which our electorate demands. As well as the foolish behaviour of some we have had a roaring torrent of spin, abuse and misdirection thrown at the Unionist people.

"As a result, they have become disorientated and confused as to how to act in defence of all they hold dear. When people are interviewed on the street the lack of understanding and the confusion is plain from what people say.

"In fact, they usually respond by uttering one of the current platitudes. 'Moving forward,' 'Making progress' are such responses, but once you stop and think you realise that the words imply travelling to an unspecified destination."

The former Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) leadership candidate described Sinn Fin/IRA and the SDLP as "United Irelanders" that have no interest in a stronger constitutional position for Northern Ireland within the United Kingdom.

He also said attempts were being made to blackmail unionists into accepting a United Ireland.

"I also find it strange that when people say that they don't want to go back to violence they don't seem to understand that they are proclaiming that if Unionism doesn't give Republicanism its progress towards a United Ireland then Republican violence to move Ulster in that direction will reappear," said Mr Ross. "In other words, the threat and fear of violence is being used to blackmail Unionist people into a United Ireland."

But Mr Ross also directed his ire at the mainstream Unionist parties for Ulster's current predicament.

"The people are, however, right to blame politicians for the mess we are in for it was the UUP, the DUP, their then Leaders David Trimble, and the Rev. Ian Paisley, Tony Blair and the UK Government who created the Belfast and St. Andrew's Agreements.

"The truly dysfunctional nature of the Stormont Government they brought into existence has been laid bare over the last week. This is not now, never was, and never can be, an effective and stable system of Government and Administration.

"That suits SF/IRA and all other Republicans just fine for they don't want a stable workable structure of Government in Northern Ireland. They want a United Ireland so it is in their constitutional interests to keep Ulster politics in turmoil," he continued.

He said "apologists" for Belfast and St Andrews might argue that a United Ireland is not on the agenda as the Republic of Ireland cannot afford Northern Ireland and does not want any involvement in its affairs and that all "rational people" know that.

But this was weighed against Republican ideologues who Mr Ross said would continue to push an all-Ireland agenda.

"Unfortunately Irish Republican dogma is not a rational thing. It is a deep rooted, unchallengeable conviction and not amenable to reasoned argument," he said.

"The whole edifice built upon the Belfast and St Andrew's agreements is a cruel deception sold to the Unionist people with soft sweet words which have painted a picture far from the reality which resulted.

"Our people need to take off their rose coloured spectacles and look at where we have been brought to. The flaws in the agreement and in Government policies are deep, wide, unbridgeable and raw."