Jim and Reg miss the point

When The Newsletter's "Union 2021"* series moved onto the politicians, I suspected the standard of argument on offer may fall:

There is an alternative to terrorist-inclusive compulsory coalition, but only if we want it.

If we don’t then prepare to live in a different Union, the union of an all-Ireland.

Thundered Ulster Unionism's Private James Frazer, "Doomed, we are, doomed, I say".

Bizarrely enough, the fact that a substantial proportion of the electorate during the Euro-Elections were happy enough to vote for his party, rather than taking the easy road of "smashing Sinn Fein" surely proves that the pro-Union inclined electorate is unconvinced that we are about to wake up to our post-boxes being painted green behind our back. His point on "voluntary" coalition and opposition makes more sense but he's not confident enough in that argument (and potential electoral base) to make it the main selling point.

Sir Reg, in contrast, decides to overwhelm us with "Feel Good Waffle" but to no greater effect than the TUV's Dr Doom:

"The Union's, like, solid, man, and like, soonish, we'll start attracting folk who don't quite fit in like us, if you know what I mean. But, yeah, Union, good thing, really."

No concrete ideas how the Nirvana of a non-communal Union may be achieved but sure isn't it the thought that counts?

Not quite the mask slipping, but this, rather incoherent, paragraph certainly doesn't match the rest of the piece's tone:

One result of the politics of the sectarian headcount - institutionalised in the changes made to the election of the First and Deputy First Ministers by St Andrews – is the possibility of a Sinn Fein First Minister. The fact that this could occur despite a majority of the electorate and Assembly members being pro-Union would undermine any moves in Northern Ireland towards normal politics. Today’s Northern Ireland, and the generation who will give leadership to Northern Ireland in 2021, deserve better. A gerrymandered sectarian headcount could give Sinn Fein the position of First Minister. This is no way to build a shared future for the people of Northern Ireland

The principle of accepting Sinn Fein as, to all intents and purposes, democratic equals was made by the UUP at the time of the Belfast Agreement. Over a decade on, it's a bit late and illogical to be now worrying about what should have been seen as a possible outworking of that decision. And if it does happens, then so what? An Irish Republican First Minister, (under very close control) of a region of the United Kingdom, a region which has no intention of voting itself out of that United Kingdom?

There is a delicious irony there and it's one Unionists should savour rather than fearing.


*An unconnected point, is it something that I alone have missed, or does everybody write now in two (or in Jimbo's case, one or even a half) sentenced paragraphs?