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LAST UPDATE | 8 Nov 2021
UNIONIST SUPPORT FOR peace process agreements in Northern Ireland is “falling away” due to the Brexit protocol, Jeffrey Donaldson has warned.
The DUP leader offered the assessment after the Progressive Unionist Party (PUP) said it could no longer support the 1998 Good Friday agreement because in its opinion the Irish Sea border had undermined its central plank – the principle of consent.
Donaldson also condemned recent outbreaks of violence in certain loyalist communities, including the hijacking and burning of two buses – incidents that have been linked to protests against the protocol.
The PUP, which is politically aligned to the paramilitary Ulster Volunteer Force, said there was no basis for unionists to retain support for the peace deal that established the power-sharing institutions at Stormont.
Reacting to the move, Donaldson said: “The PUP are very clear – they’re not wanting people to go back to violence and they have condemned violence on our streets.
“But it is a matter of concern that support for the agreements and political institutions is falling away, and not least within unionism itself.
“I’ve been warning about this now and warning that this is one of the consequences of the protocol, because the protocol upsets the very delicate constitutional balance that is at the heart of the agreement, it undermines our relationship with the rest of the United Kingdom in a way that is unacceptable to unionists.
“Let’s not lose sight of the fact there isn’t a single unionist elected representative that supports this protocol.
“So, in a way, I understand where the PUP are coming from. But I want to get to a place where we put this right, where we get the political stability that we need.”
Donaldson also accused Dublin and Brussels of engaging in “megaphone diplomacy” over the potential of a trade war with the UK.
He said comments from the Irish Government and the EU around the prospect of retaliatory action if the UK suspends the protocol – potentially in the form of terminating the Trade and Cooperation Agreement – were causing “harm and damage”, and ratcheting up tensions.
He branded “disgraceful” a comment attributed to an unnamed EU diplomat quoted in the Daily Telegraph who said the EU was “ready for peace but prepared for war”.
The phrase has particular connotations in Northern Ireland as it was a slogan used by loyalist paramilitaries during the peace process to sum up their attitude to the political agreements. A well-known mural on a loyalist estate in north Belfast still bears the message.
The Ulster Unionist Party has also condemned the unattributed remark and UUP MLA Mike Nesbitt asked Stormont deputy First Minister Michelle O’Neill to join that condemnation during Assembly question time today.
“Can I say that anybody who holds public office needs to be very careful in terms of the language which they use,” the Sinn Fein vice president replied.
“I note the comment that the member’s referring to, it’s not attributed to anybody so I don’t know where it’s coming from, but language of that nature isn’t appropriate or in any shape or form.”
O’Neill accused the DUP of feeding a narrative that has inflamed and encouraged recent violence on the streets of Northern Ireland.
She pointed to the party’s boycott of north-south political meetings and its threat to pull down Stormont in opposition to the Northern Ireland Protocol.
The Sinn Fein vice president made the claims during Assembly question time as she commented on recent violent attacks in the region, the latest of which saw a bus hijacked and burned out on the loyalist Rathcoole estate on Sunday night.
Donaldson expressed doubt the EU would risk the trade deal, given its reliance on UK consumers.
“The EU does a lot of trade with the United Kingdom,” he said.
“Germany, the biggest trading nation in the EU, the United Kingdom is its biggest market in Europe, it’s the second biggest market for Germany in the whole world.
“Does anyone seriously believe that the Germans want to open a trade war with the United Kingdom? That’s not the answer here.
“The answer is to sit around the table and agree a solution. If the EU can’t do that, if the EU prefers instead to choose rhetoric, to choose a trade war over the need to protect the political process in Northern Ireland, then I’m sad about that.
“But it means the UK Government then must take decisive action to restore Northern Ireland’s place within the UK internal market and respect what the Belfast Agreement says – that Northern Ireland remains an integral part of the United Kingdom, unless the people of Northern Ireland decide otherwise.”
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They barely constitute as a political party. No MP’s, no seats in the northern assembly. Only three councillors out of 462 seats.
Basically, it’s irrelevant what they think.
@Seán Ó Briain: unionism taking a shot at the good Friday agreement and the principal of consent, this is a step at dismantling the GFA. Very worrying times. Let’s have a referendum soon rather than later and let the people decide.
@MacMun: Yes a referendum. So we can invite all these upstanding citizens into the Dáil to make our country whole again….
@Seán Ó Briain: it is relevant what they think if they are acting in tandem with the DUP and others and have the ability to send others out to torch a few buses. who really cannot see through his and Jeffrey’s good cop – bad cop routine for what it was?
@MacMun: Brexit has just been characterised by Britain dismantling the structures of trade and peace.
@Seán Ó Briain: People with guns will always be relevant. Just look where guns got republicans.
@Lamb: It would be helpful if the US complained to the WTO for border checks not being carried out and request sanctions against the UK.
@Lamb: If it all breaks down they should go after British tax havens
@Dan Duggan: With all due respect, it wouldn’t take much to confine these thugs to their bantustans in the colony, if John bull was out of the equation. Don’t forget, without John bull there nothing.
Riffraff and drug dealers are running the show up there !
@Maria McGrath: some criminals burned out another bus last night and the DUP say it’s a sign the NIP isn’t working.
I though governments didn’t give in to the whims of terrorists?
@Maria McGrath: Deep down working class loyalism knows the union is only important to them. Conservative party have no interest in northern Ireland.
Also, loyalism can bring themselves to accept that Northern Ireland has the best of both worlds since brexit: Part of the UK and freely able to trade with EU.
The sad reality which will dawn too late for them is that flags and rhetoric never put food on the table.
@Ger Murphy: I’m guessing it might have become harder for loyalist drug dealers to get their drugs in
Unionists are mostly headers who won’t ever be appeased. You could give them exactly what they ask for over and over and they’ll keep coming back sayin it’s not right and they want something else. They don’t want to reach any kind of agreement and won’t ever be happy. Just ignore them and stop reporting what they say, it’s like reporting “dog barks on street”, it doesn’t matter, it’s a dog, and he’s always guna be barking.
@Rob Gale: I think you will find you have just insulted all dogs as these people are not of the same morals of a dog as all they are , are racists and only know hate, my little dog knows of none of that. Lol
So it’s taken Boris what, 2 years to destroy two and half decades worth of peace and prosperity
Says former terrorist who showed zero remorse to his victims who leads a party with 3 councillors, 0 mlas, and 0 mps. This is to raise tensions, simple as.
@James Reardon: don’t start a war billy it’s not. A good idea
Wow the British government made some mess of this . .
The Loyalist/Unionist hardliners just can’t accept Catholics/Nationalists/Republicans having equality.
@Bala mc blaha: and they are too blind sighted and listening to hearsay to realise who actually agreed on the protocol, their “PM”
does this change of position have anything to do with Catholics now been the majority ?
There are two traditions in Northern Ireland. There are two main religious denominations. But there is only one true moral denomination. And it wants peace.
David Trimble
They are basically saying they no longer want the peace process
Yes the “principle of consent” Billy boy. The people of NI voted against Brexit. Where was your principle of consent then?
@GrumpyAulFella: It wasn’t a regional referendum, it was a UK-wide one. If we followed your logic then Same Sex Marriage and Abortion shouldn’t be permitted in Roscommon as the county voted against both.
@Tommy Roche: yeah but it’s a separate jurisdiction of the UK, it even has it’s own administration, public service, police force etc. You can l’t pretend to be listening to the voice of the NI electorate (separate from other UK jurisdictions) on some issues and then ignore it on others. The fact is that this problem concerns NI and exists as a result of Brexit something that the majority in NI opposed.
@Tommy Roche: This is the outworkings of the UK insisting on a “hard Brexit” therefore a border has to go somewhere. It’s this insistence on such a hard Brexit that is not working for NI not the protocol. unionist / loyalist community should have been directing their ire or energy towards their own parliament to insist on a soft Brexit with UK still remaining in SM and CU.
@Tommy Roche: bit unfair to single out Roscommon like that when they only voted against one of those referendums
@alphasully: I stand corrected. They voted against SSM but for repeal of the 8th. Confused them for those other hillbillies up the road in Donegal.
Hopefully young people and education will see an end to headers like this fella, squatters never happy with their lot.
PUP champions of equality, so long as unionists have more equality than the rest.
What makes them ‘progressive’?
@sean o’dhubhghaill: They thought up the acronym ‘PUP’ before any of us had even heard of Covid. Great bunch of forward thinking progressives that lot.
Disgusting vile excuse of a man is literally adding petrol to a flame, imagine being that sad at his age.
Also why isn’t he being questioned in suspicion of the bus attack last night, after making comments like this & after all he was publicly a member of the UVF. Probably was one of the lunatics with a balaclava
PUP by name, Pup by nature
Unionist parties split 5 ways now.burning buses out when they don’t get their old ways of ruling the roost.shame on them
If they are going to pull their support for the GFA, then their prisoner release license expires with it. All UVF prisoners should be rounded up and made serve the remainder of their sentences. This includes Billy himself who was charged with the murder of 2 innocent Catholics
@James Beattie: That’s very good logic James. Can you imagine the howls of protest. Unfortunately I imagine the police can imagine them also and it terrifies them.
Typical retric from the unionists
You are Irish fella, and European, so get used to it. They don’t want you in England, or anywhere in the old empire. Do not try to stimulate discontent in your little corner of the world…the lives of innocents are at risk. Be Brirish if you want, but no more conflict to suit Bojo or the English establishment.
Ironically Donaldson is accusing Simon Coveney of megaphone diplomacy.
The irony of the name Progressive Unionist Party
Progressive in their name, they are as progressive as the Taliban. It’s all take with this lot, never open to actually negotiating.
Sounds like the PUP are trying to sell a pup. Time to get progressive and move with the times Billy. The days of your statelet are numbered.
There is a price to be paid for being able to transact tariff free in two trade areas, ie UK and it’s Dominions and with all the members of the EU trade block simultaneously.
No other state entity has this facility. This is a very generous concession to NI and those who are representing the Business Community know this and are in tune with the real world and are the real Progressive people in NU.
An odious little stain.
Regretting those PUP payments now ..
So it’s ok for the British Government and the Anti Protocol Unionists to say and do what they like, but if the E.U and the Irish Government respond, or say something they are accused of inflaming things. All this regrettably shows is that attitudes have not changed in Unionism or the British Government, and it’s still Their Way, or No Way.
Hutchinson, a self made red hand spokesperson and former loyalist thug .
Really getting tiresome. Stop the knucke dragging and crawl back into the cave. The majority of GB just wish that the Neanderthals would just hurry up and join the 21st century. If one threw them a life ring when drowning they would probably shout No.
@George Vladisavljevic: Specifically it would be “No no NO! *
So Mr. Donaldson and his neantherds want to go back to war : is that their preferred option.?
There is a price to be paid for being able to transact tariff free in two trade areas, ie UK and it’s Dominions and with all the members of the EU trade block simultaneously. No other state entity has this facility. This is a very generous concession to NI and those who are representing the Business Community know this and are in tune with the real world and are the real Progressive people in NU.
Greetings from the dark ages Jeffrey , time waits for no one
The DUP never supported the GFA. They go along with the bits that they like, like providing ministers and first ministers.
Jasus, I thought they were all dead?
https://www.irishcentral.com/news/kilkenny-farmer-ireland-taken-over-british
He should get to know this lad in kilkenny. Then they could really live in dreamland.
@Tom Leddy: I thought of this as a possible solution ages ago as it never got a mention as an outcome, not that I’m in agreement with it mind.
The mad PUP’s yap!
Are they not the pandemic payment group. Never heard of them before
It’s time for Donaldson to get off the pot, he is threatening to S….e now for a couple of months . It’s time that he copped on , show a bit of true leadership to his people . Tell them to get on with living in peace and stop making silly demands , one after another .
Progressive
Can we build a big wall around Northern Ireland and pretend it’s not there ?
The irony of the name progressive in the PUP
Don’t be used, Jeffrey, your economy is doing better than ever. Don’t blow it for Johnson. His agenda is not your agenda. Don’t be his “cat’s paw”.
@Tom Leddy: you know, i think he could be on to something here. A party representing the Unionists within a united Ireland, but unfortunately under ‘British rule’ then would be a bridge too far for the the Nationalist people. So in conclusion, the proposed sceme would be doomed to failure because the idea would fall short of the aspirations of one or both sides of the political devide.
Be careful, Conservative, Unionist party. Please don’t sacrifice the people for whatever you gain. You know Northern Ireland is doing better economically. Don’t spoil that for whatever benefits you richest group gain. You have done this before, please r try decency and humanity, you never know, know, you might like it. Stop manipulating people for the benefit of the few
@Tommyroche the referendum vote was Roscommon /Leitrim to be precise
Complete and utter fertilizer spreader
Thought i saw Donaldson and yer man from the PUP having a coffee in Belfast last Saturday. Unlikely they were colluding though to ratchet up pressure on the Irish and the EU …….
Threats now from PUP & UVF
GFY
Unionist leaders know too well that once there’s an all-Ireland economy at the expense of NI-GB trade, the game is up. It was never about demographic shifts or the number of Catholics and Protestants. As with everything in politics, it was always, ultimately, about money. Where the trade flows, the geopolitics follows.
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