The world of Alliance - where having an opinion on the constitutional question denotes sectarianism
Tom Campbell, an Alliance party councillor in Newtownabbey, contributes the latest letter in response to my ‘eighteen candidate’ Belfast Telegraph article. It contains a line which arrested my attention.
A neat insight into the Alliance mentality, whereby actually taking a position on Northern Ireland's constitutional status deems someone sectarian!
It’s rather an important question, don’t you think - which state ought Northern Ireland to form a part of? Yet one party ducks it entirely and levels accusations of bigotry at those who do have an opinion!
The Conservatives and Unionists CAN move beyond ‘sectarianism’ by decoupling the political component of unionism from any religious and cultural baggage. It’s a simple enough concept.
In time the pact’s unionism can be taken for granted, even go without saying. That’s the position which I would like to move toward. Whereby the constitutional question plays a much less prominent part in Northern Ireland’s political discourse, because it is considered, at least for the time being, settled. Whereby all unionists simply get on with playing a full role in the United Kingdom and its politics.
“At least he (me) was frank enough to admit that his cause is a ‘unionist’ one as opposed to the spin that the new electoral arrangement between the two parties is somehow a ‘post sectarian’ one.”
A neat insight into the Alliance mentality, whereby actually taking a position on Northern Ireland's constitutional status deems someone sectarian!
It’s rather an important question, don’t you think - which state ought Northern Ireland to form a part of? Yet one party ducks it entirely and levels accusations of bigotry at those who do have an opinion!
The Conservatives and Unionists CAN move beyond ‘sectarianism’ by decoupling the political component of unionism from any religious and cultural baggage. It’s a simple enough concept.
In time the pact’s unionism can be taken for granted, even go without saying. That’s the position which I would like to move toward. Whereby the constitutional question plays a much less prominent part in Northern Ireland’s political discourse, because it is considered, at least for the time being, settled. Whereby all unionists simply get on with playing a full role in the United Kingdom and its politics.
Comments
Somebody once termed them "pro-union".
Generally a nice lot though, as you say, Chekov, ever ducking the issue in question!
Tim
The Alliance only exists due to the presence of bigotry, or more accurately the perception of it. Take bigotry away and there is no Alliance.
They have an active hand in the machinations of our unwanted cottage industry just as much as the next ingrained local ideology.