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In the wake of the elections the state of the Ulster Unionist
Party is being examined and assessed by its members, supporters
and everybody else, even those with a minimal interest in
politics. It is incredible that the once popular and powerful
Unionist grouping has sunk to such depths in losses of support
that its very existence could be in question. There is no
need to trace the descent of the UUP from its beginnings to
this present, for that has been a visual experience for all
of us. There has been more than 30 years seeping of strength
and trust from the party since the prorogation of the devolved
parliament at Stormont and the emergence and growth of the
Democratic Unionist Party with Dr. Ian Paisley. The leaders
of the UUP, in turn from Lord Brookeborough, found that they
had to cope with a membership, increasingly individualistic
and less collective, in their attitudes to party and policies.
So much has been said and written about them that it is not
necessary, in this comment, to add to it. The Belfast Agreement
turned the party into two camps, those for and those against
it and the devolved government it produced had a short and
unhappy existence. The UUP was used and treated most dishonourably
by Tony Blair, Bertie Ahern and Gerry Adams so that when that
reality was fully recognised it had lost credibility from
many and the runaway from it was intensified. Blame was attached
to the UUP leadership for trusting the untrustworthy and for
persisting in working for that which others had made unworkable.
The anti-Agreement stance of the DUP is now that of so many
unionists that the question being posed is "can the UUP
rise from the ashes?" The murmurings are such that what
the future holds for it is uncertain. One political observer
of the Ulster situation thinks that the UUP has had its day
and should leave the scene to allow a new unionist party to
emerge. The very impressive strength of the DUP does not question
the fact that there are Unionists with different emphases
who want another voice to speak for them. But if a new start
would be an ideal the reality is that there are UUP structures
which are a persuasion on the present membership to re-group,
restore confidence, regain strength and carry on. We may be
sure that the defeats of the elections have taught the party
several essential lessons. How it responds to the problems
they describe will be what matters to its future well being.
The political arena is such that there is no knowing what
lies ahead of us. We can but hope that Unionism will be no
longer the loser in the struggle for the soul of Northern
Ireland.
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