Letter: Election provides an opportunity to vote for more effective unionist representation at Westminster

A letter from Thomas Smyth:

The make-up of the new Westminster government will be decided next week. The upcoming election gives the electorate the chance to bring about change, writes Thomas Smyth

Owen Polley’s opinion piece (Debate within unionism shouldn’t be reduced to vote-splitting claims, June 17) highlighted a number of important issues regarding the state of unionism.

Chief amongst them, for me, is the dismal performance of unionist MPs at Westminster.

Prior to the recent dissolution of parliament, of the 18 Westminster constituencies in NI, eight were represented by ‘unionist’ MPs, all from the DUP.

Collectively, these eight DUP MPs have been representatives at Westminster for over 117 years in aggregate. The fact that only 23 GB-based MPs voted against the Windsor Framework, with 515 MPs voting for it, indicates just how ineffective these MPs were at promoting the unionist case on the mainland and garnering support for the Union.

To add insult to injury, the basic annual salary for an MP is currently £91,346 per annum, meaning that over their combined 117 years at Westminster these eight DUP MPs have been paid an eye-watering £10.7 million (when expressed at the current salary value).

The price of failure is high, both constitutionally and financially. It’s also worth stating that the princely sum above excludes the other generous financial benefits that MPs receive in the form of pensions, grants, expenses and winding-up allowances (all courtesy of taxpayers).

It is often said that insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

DUP MPs have had plenty of time, and financial remuneration, to demonstrate their value to the unionist cause by growing support within the House of Commons and across GB generally. They have failed to do so.

The upcoming election provides an opportunity for the electorate to bring about change and to vote for more effective unionist representation at Westminster.

Thomas Smyth, Belfast