Democracy Denied

The political party known as Sinn Fein, the political wing of the Provisional IRA, are once again seeking to portray the suspension of elections to the Local Assembly as yet another example of how they are victimised and discriminated against. Most observant Loyalists will have noted that they have launched a campaign portraying their political party, and their constituency, as having been denied their democratic rights, with various posters and banners appearing in various locations.  The naïve observer will no doubt in many cases believe the nonsense and will once again come to the negative prejudice that this is yet another case of those ‘bad Prods’ and ‘Unionists’ denying Roman Catholics and Irish Nationalists their right to vote. Nothing could be further from the truth.

That Irish Nationalism, in its various forms, has been denied the right to vote is true but it is equally true that Unionism and Loyalism has also been denied these very same rights. Just in case Sinn Fein have failed to notice they are not the only political party that intended to contest the Assembly Elections. Do they really believe that the Unionist and Loyalist community have the political leverage within the corridors of power at Westminster to enable them to postpone these elections? The majority of Loyalists and Unionists probably relished the opportunity to make their views known on the manner in which the Good Friday Agreement has been implemented and in particular the lack of political leadership that has been forthcoming from David Trimble and the Ulster Unionist Party. Despite what certain public opinion polls have suggested, that a majority of Unionists still support the process that started as a ‘peace process’ but which has ended up as little more than an appeasement process, it appears from the word on the ground that Loyalism and Unionism has lost faith in the process. If proof was needed than those who doubt this should consider the last democratic election, to the British Parliament, in which those opposed to the present political situation made considerable gains at the expense of the Pro-Agreement Ulster Unionist Party.

The faith of Loyalists in the process has been brought into question by the actions of Sinn Fein and the Provisional IRA who have failed to provide the reassurances that the Loyalist and Unionist people need in order to feel at ease with Sinn Fein holding offices of government within the executive. The P.I.R.A. continue to maintain the operational structure and the capability of their murder gangs, continue to engage in acts of violence, and Sinn Fein have been caught red handed gathering intelligence at the very highest levels of government. They have also been caught exporting their own brand and techniques of terrorism and mass murder to other countries such as Columbia. Against this backdrop Sinn Fein, the perennial hypocrites, continue to argue that it is they who have been denied their democratic rights and that they have been the victims of some sort of antiquated notion of Unionist hegemony. The political reality of the situation is, however, far removed from the pathetic propaganda that Sinn Fein peddles.

The truth of the matter is that democracy has been denied to the Loyalist and Unionist people because Tony Blair will do everything and anything in order to try and breath life into the failing process and in turn prop up David Trimble and the Ulster Unionist Party. To put it quite simply the British Prime Minister has no other choice but to prop up the leadership of David Trimble for, in the minds of many, if Trimble falls so too may the whole institutional structure and process. Democracy has been denied, not to Sinn Fein who never respected democracy in the true sense that the concept entails, but to all the Unionist and Loyalist voters who have been disenfranchised. The elections will be called, if at all, only when the British Government believe that there is a chance that it will provide the electoral return that they seek: a majority of the Unionist voting bloc who support the current process and all that it entails. What the British Government fears is that there may be a very real democratic mandate for some sort of renegotiation of the terms of the Good Friday Agreement. Democracy has been sacrificed not because Unionists and Loyalists were wary of elections but simply because the Ulster Unionist Party were in no position to contest them with a chance of success as measured against the last election to the Assembly.

It has been said that Loyalism suffers from a ‘siege mentality’ but it equally true that Republicanism appears to suffer from a ‘victim complex’ that involves propagating the view that everything and anything that is done by the British government is some how in order to benefit the majority of the Unionist and Loyalist people.  If only their warped political perceptions had any basis in reality the Unionist and Loyalist people would be in a lot better position than they find themselves at present.