Letter: Unionism must go further than challenging republicans on legacy - it must abandon powersharing

It is my firm conviction that such an act represented (and still represents) the true face and mindset of Irish republicanism towards the Protestant people of Ulster.

That the first minister should be on public record as stating there was “no alternative” to wicked acts such as this is utterly abominable and only highlights the fact that for all the sanctimonious drivel about being sorry for every death and being a first minister for all SF are totally unfit to be in government.

Irrespective of the political strength of IRA/SF, unionism should never have even entertained the idea of powersharing with republicans let alone enthusiastically embraced it as the DUP have done.

One of the follies of so doing is that the DUP and UUP have both facilitated a peace process which has provided SF with a platform which they have used to try to sanitise the IRA and demonise the security forces.

The News Letter is to be commended for continually challenging and exposing this blatant re-writing of history.

However I would submit that unionism must go further than challenging republicans on legacy, to the complete abandonment of powersharing with SF and treating them as the pariahs they are.

Richard Ferguson, Dollingstown