(by David Ervine, Irelandclick.com)

The UDP has met its demise at its own hand.

The talents of Gary McMichael and David Adams were ever so clear to me. The struggle to explain, explain, explain to their constituency as they negotiated the best hope for our future was a struggle indeed.

The heady days of opportunity for the growth of a real politick suffered a serious setback when the pro-agreement parties, especially the big ones, refused to operate a process of implementation of the Agreement.

They each sold the same little booklet on partisan lines. No matter how many times the smaller parties pleaded for such a process, it was always dismissed.

Even when helicopters containing premiers landed upon the lawn, the degree to which the smaller parties were excluded was quite shocking and callous.

At times I’ve witnessed fear in the eyes of politicians whose constituency was upset. The fact was, the worst that would ever happen to them was to be hit on the head with an umbrella at Scarva. They never considered that the UDP and others had to worry about material that moved at higher velocity.

I wonder do those with Nobel Prize status know what it is like to be treated like bit players as people struggled to keep a killing machine focused on a political process?

The truth is that they will never know – nor do they care! Exclusion is at the core of the ‘troubles’.

That being the case, then inclusion is the, balm, ointment or cure to remedy such default. Why is it then that the ‘moral guardians’ of our society always seek exclusion?

The really, really ‘moral guardians’, the sell-out brigade of ‘no nay never’ were even worse. The leadership of the UDP and the PUP has had relationships with the ‘naysayers’ well into the distant past.

But, to hear them when loyalists had the audacity to represent themselves, you’d never believe it.

As the Republicans played ‘in your face’ street politics and the naysayers began to gain ground, life became intolerable for pro-agreement Unionist politicians.

The predictions of sell-out gained momentum. When some bellicose ‘ranter’ screams sell-out, it takes seconds to say and an hour to refute.

Some of the naysayers actively worked with paramilitaries to destabilise the political analysts. Coping with all of that was difficult enough.
Add to that the media agenda of moral crusade, where every immoral action on our streets had to have the response of a spokesman who in truth hated the immoral action as much as the interviewer or the editor who drives the agenda.

I’m not a happy camper as I assess the demise of the UDP. There will be many comments accompanied by crocodile tears. The reality is that as Gary McMichael, David Adams and others in the UDP get on with life, they can do so with their head held high. Between them they have more integrity than the main parties have all rolled into one.

I for one appreciate, and if there is any justice history will record, the commitment and risk shown well above and beyond the call of duty.

This article appeared first on the Irelandclick.com web site on November 30, 2001.


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