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Unionism - A Story Of Failure

(This article was written in 1996 after the Forum elections. The UIM is now defunct)

To say that Ulster-nationalism is facing an uphill battle in becoming politically and constitutionally acceptable to the majority of the Ulster nation is to vastly understate our position. We are all painfully aware of the poor electoral support that the Ulster Independence Movement has achieved in its forays into the political arena!

It is unfortunately the case that Ulster-nationalism is seen by the majority of the Ulster people as a political and constitutional position of last resort - better an independent Ulster than a hostile Gaelic united Ireland. Consequently it is also unfortunately the case that whilst there seems to be a hollow semblance of the Union remaining, the Ulster people will cling determinedly to it - this in spite of the fact that the Union today has no substance to it. The Union died with the Anglo-Irish Diktat when British and Irish joint rule was established in 1985. However, unionists are political cowards because for them to openly state such facts entails a terror they would rather not face. That 'unspoken terror' would force unionists to stand on their own feet severing the chains that bind them to Britain. The crunch for unionists will only come when they are standing on the quayside at Larne, holding their union jacks, proclaiming their Britishness, as the last soldier steps on to the last boat to Britain!

As such, with so much negative feeling towards Ulster independence at the moment, it is up to us Ulster-nationalists to educate the Ulster people to independence rather than to participate fully in the political arena which is simply not yet ready for such progressive ideals.

Our emphasis should instead be place on building up a solid infrastructure of Ulster-nationalists - which should spread across Ulster in every town, village and hamlet - to create a small hardcore movement whose members' belief in the Ulster independence ideal is unassailable, regardless of the hardships or disappointments encountered.

In educating and building a solid infrastructure we are preparing the political ground for when the union is finally pronounced dead and buried. This process is well under way with a grave dug by the Anglo-Irish Diktat, the Downing Street Declaration and the Framework document; the grave being filled in by the pan-Irish nationalist front ably supported by the British government.

Ultimately, time is short for Ulster-nationalism. To achieve its aims, we must be ready for the total collapse of unionism, a sorry political compromise that should never have seen the light of day. For Ulster independence, yesterday was too late but tomorrow can be ours!.

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A THIRD WAY FOR ULSTER