The DUP and Guerrilla Warfare – by Michael Lagan

So, the DUP missed a North/South Ministerial Council meeting.  A big deal? Of course, it is, in more ways than one.  It is definitely more important than a British/Irish Council due to the North/South Council allowing Executive and Southern Irish Ministers on the island of Ireland to co-ordinate as one body on many subjects and issues such as health, infrastructure, policing and more.  The second ‘big deal’ is that this ‘missing’ of the North/South Ministerial Council comes just weeks after Jim Allister suggested Unionism remove itself from all cross-border bodies and cooperation with those institutions to peacefully protest the NI Protocol.  Yes folks, protesting the same NI Protocol the DUP actually aided and abetted through their own intransigence.

It’s strange, you know.  These cross border Ministerial Councils are planned and confirmed months in advance yet no-one knew the DUP Ministers were unavailable to attend until the meetings were about to begin.  In fact, the DUP didn’t tell anyone they weren’t available to attend…they just didn’t turn up.  The meetings were cancelled just as Ministers were joining the Zoom calls.  After criticism of the DUP by Sinn Fein, Alliance and the SDLP, the DUP came out and publicly stated the reason they ‘missed’ the Ministerial Council was because no DUP Ministers were available to take part in said meetings.  Again, that’s a strange coincidence as the DUP have junior Ministers, like Gordon Lyons who, from speaking to Unionist ‘sources’ within my own constituency, I understand he was doing nothing of any importance that couldn’t have been put aside for something as important as a North/South Ministerial Council.

Are the DUP really following Jim Allister’s plan, which he first laid out on the Stephen Nolan Show, to pervert the implementation of the NI Protocol?  Happenings in the past few weeks would suggest so.  Mr. Allister suggested three “immediate proposals” which should take place…well, immediately.

1. The DUP and UUP should “freeze” their involvement with all cross-Border bodies and the North-South Ministerial Council.
2. Unionist ministers should “veto” any EU-related legislation coming before the Northern Executive.
3. The DUP Agriculture Minister Edwin Poots should direct his officials not to co-operate in running Irish Sea border checks.

Point Three on the list, actioned through the Agriculture Minister at the time, ironically Gordon Lyons, standing in for Edwin Poots, halted all building of border posts and recruitment for said posts.  The move caused all sorts of confusion and frustration within Stormont, the British Government and the EU.  Mr. Lyons stated it was – “entirely proportionate and reasonable to take this approach, and I would hope that people would put their views on Brexit to a side for the moment and see what is actually best for the people that we represent”.  Of course, this was all seen to be a complete lie when Sammy Wilson was later interviewed and clearly hadn’t read the party script when he stated “We will fight this protocol and the implication of this protocol with every means we have, and if that means we have to use the tactics which Gordon (Lyons) used at the weekend… we will look to see every opportunity there is to attack the protocol to ensure it is destroyed.”

Point One appears to be in the process of being actioned as we speak.  Point Two may be the most contentious of all.  It will, in fact, bring the Unionists of the North of Ireland into direct conflict with the UK Government, as it is abundantly clear the UK Government was willing to implement the NI Protocol despite the objections of NI Unionists, until Unionists started threatening violence.  So, they will more than likely be willing to implement the edited NI Protocol and also any EU directives and legislation.

What is interesting is the fact the DUP have enacted points One and Three under false pretences.  The big question is why they’re so worried about making waves, if making waves is actually the very reason they are carrying this out.  Their reasoning is ‘protest’ yet they are carrying out these ‘protests’ without making them known to be protests.  With that in mind, does anyone remember Sammy Wilson’s words when he talked about how they would defeat the NI Protocol?

“We will fight guerrilla warfare against this, until the big battle opportunity comes”

That’s right folks, the DUP and political Unionism are carrying out “guerrilla warfare” on the NI Protocol in plain sight.  They’re carrying out Jim Aliister’s three-point plan covertly, hiding it behind blatant lies and deception.  At this point I wouldn’t underestimate Unionism or Loyalism.  They are under pressure, backed into a corner with the NI Protocol being edited by London and Brussels without NI Unionism’s input.  If nothing else, it shows just what could have been achieved if it hadn’t been for the DUP and their input, or lack thereof during the Brexit negotiations.  Then again, the North Eastern six didn’t vote for Brexit, and the DUP”s actions during that time show they weren’t in fact “trying to get Northern Ireland the best deal” but instead were trying, the entire time, to keep the North in the UK and put a border across the island of Ireland again.