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Good morning John

This week Belfast City Council voted to approve a new policy that will see Irish-English signage placed on council facilities, alongside a new bilingual logo for uniforms and vehicles.

I respect the right of anyone who wishes to learn, speak, or celebrate Irish. Language and cultural expression are important parts of identity. But the question we must ask is this: do we need a policy so extensive, so far-reaching, so costly, to achieve that aim?

The reality is that many people across Belfast have no connection to Irish, no desire to use it, and see Sinn Fein’s promotion of the language as part of a cultural war. This policy is clearly not about inclusivity – it is about imposition. It is about changing the cultural identity of every corner of Belfast, whether people want it or not.

And what is most telling is that the views of those who oppose this have been completely ignored. Sinn Fein, the SDLP and Alliance – parties who regularly claim to champion minority rights – have shown once again that when they hold a majority, their attitude is totalitarian: our way, our vision, our identity will become yours too.

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The DUP will not stand by and let this happen. This week unionist councillors from the DUP, UUP and TUV joined together to oppose this policy and are working jointly on the call-in. That cooperation is vital and is the template for wider cooperation on issues that impact our community. If Alliance is content to play the junior partner in Sinn Fein’s cultural project – as well as on legacy - then unionism must stand united. Division only weakens our ability to resist these changes.

We are told this is about increasing the prominence of Irish heritage in Belfast, and that it is righting an historical wrong. That reminded me of a conversation with a friend who recently visited Dublin to meet with members of the Orange Order in the city. He spoke of how the cultural identity of Orangeism in the Republic has been deliberately erased from the city’s history and wider public life – a conscious decision that its story should not be told. Even Heather Humphrey’s felt the need to erase her Orange connections in order to run for President. An Ireland of equals?

That experience offers a stark warning. What republicanism is doing in City Hall now that they have a majority is the same approach: erasing another identity, imposing their own. And it shows us what a so-called “new Ireland” would look like – a place where unionist culture and identity are systematically erased with an arrogant dismissal of the genuine concerns of our community.

That is why we must resist this policy, why we must be united, and why the DUP continue to stand firm for the people we represent and the identity we share. We will not be silenced, nor will we be erased, and together we will ensure that Belfast’s future is one where the British identity is defended with confidence and pride.

Yours sincerely,

Rt. Hon. Gavin Robinson MP

DUP Leader

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