Royal Assent has been approved for parliament’s decision to implement Brexit and so endorse the will of 350 thousand people here who voted with the UK majority to leave the EU.
Assuming there is an orderly Brexit and the transition period is successfully complete by the end of the year, Northern Ireland must position itself to be at the centre of the government’s Brexit fulcrum.
Rather than sabre rattling with blunt edges you would think that having just reinstated themselves into executive office the fab five parties would have prioritised the potential benefits outworking from Brexit. Instead they passed a Stormont motion condemning and rejecting in their entirety the government’s EU withdrawal arrangements. A collective decision by a coalition which is far from 100 per cent on Northern Ireland’s side.
Not the most auspicious leadership considering the IMF and PWC in separate reports cited that over the next two years the UK’s economy will outperform all major EU economies in the Eurozone. These two powerhouse forecasters predicted that the UK would be an increasingly attractive place to invest. A welcome opportunity therefore for the executive to link into and seek obvious benefits from wanting a share of the action.
There has to be an injection of urgency into exploring and defining with the government all positive aspects implicated in the withdrawal agreement and to utilise expert analysis of our position in preparing for the Brexit end game resulting from the final deal on trade arrangements.
Northern Ireland needs to engage with its UK partners and to win friends and influence the decision takers. The appointment of a Brexit minister should be made now. A trouble shooter, wheeler dealer capable of maximising our potential to investors. A non-aligned party political outsider – working with the executive to establish and deliver clarity plus expectations. A person with the skills to assist the assembly and executive comprehend the full nuances of Brexit and outline the exceptional prospects available to all business interests here.
We have some of the best and well respected business brains in the world. It would be an opportunity missed indeed scandalous not to recruit one of their number and give him or her a leading role in our Brexit negotiations with the government.
DAVID McNARRY
Strangford, Co Down
Catholic Church deserves criticism for its supine role over abortion
Anyone who has been following the Labour Party leadership election can only be shocked by the abuse of Rebecca Long-Bailey because she disagrees with children of 24 weeks in the womb being aborted because they have a disability. Her views have been attacked as they ‘are dictated by the Vatican’. Does this mean that no Catholic can be a MP for any of the major Westminster parties?
As Tony BLair pointed out he could only convert to Catholicism upon leaving office.
As the treatment of Mike Lello in Stoke shows, when he was deselected because of his Christian-Catholic views on abortion anti-Catholicism remains rife.
The nonsense from ‘progressives’ about abortion being health care should be exposed as the untruth it is. If it is healthcare why does my local hospital in Letterkenny refuse to do them? Because it is taking the life of another.
However, the Catholic Church deserves much criticism for its supine role in this.
Is it possible to be a practising Catholic TD or MP in the current illiberal climate fostered by self-styled liberals?
When a practising Catholic becomes UK prime minister I will believe that the centuries of anti-Catholic prejudice are over.
It is increasingly similar to the Republic which has little, if anything, to do with the one proclaimed in Easter 1916.
SEAN O DOIBHILIN
Leitir Ceanainn, Tir Chonail
Trump is indeed a very nice guy
Iraqi prime minister, Adil Abdul-Mahdi, speaking recently in the Iraqi parliament, accused Donald Trump of threatening to engage in false-flag sniper shootings of both protesters and security personnel if he didn’t renege on an agreement just signed with China to finish reconstruction of Iraq’s infrastructure and electricity grid and if he didn’t agree to concede 50 per cent of Iraqi’s oil revenues to the US. He said (translated), “Trump called me to ask me to reject this [Iraq-China] agreement. When I refused, he threatened to unleash huge demonstrations against me that would end my premiership. Huge demonstrations against me duly materialised and Trump called again to threaten that if I did not comply with his demands, then he would have Marine snipers on tall buildings target protesters and security personnel alike in order to pressure me.” When can we ever say that the US isn’t continually attempting to spread freedom and democracy across the globe?
LOUIS SHAWCROSS
Hillsborough, Co Down
Living with partition
According to Alex Kane (January 24), “We don’t, in fact, live in an us-and-them world; we live in our own world, on our own side of the fence, in our own schools and housing areas, socialising with people from our own sort of background.”
Be honest about it. How could it be otherwise? We live with the ongoing consequences of partition, which keeps the conflict alive and keeps us separated.
Unionists will soon be celebrating Northern Ireland’s centenary. Meanwhile, to quote Alex: “We are drifting further apart; nudging ever closer to an end-game scenario.”
MALACHY SCOTT
Belfast BT15
Brilliant piece of politicking
As we all know Sinn Féin brought down the executive, the reasons we were told were the RHI scandal, an Irish language act and wanting Arlene Foster to step aside. Now after three years Sinn Féin have decided to re-engage in the executive. Arlene Foster has been elected as First Minister, there is no Irish language act and RHI has not been resolved.
So, can Mary Lou explain to us all this brilliant piece of politicking. I know this, I will never vote for Sinn Féin again.
JOSEPH KENNEDY
Dunmurry, Co Antrim
