Danny Morrison interviews David Ervine

This is a conversation between two men who both share a very direct style of communication. It’s interesting too because it represents countless other conversations that have abounded since the Belfast Agreement. He talks about the proposed exclusion of Sinn Fein from the Executive

“When I view the potential for January I’’m saying to myself, ‘”what is it Trimble wants”? How many hoops have people to jump through?’ What I am clear on is what the Republican Movement and loyalists need to do.

Back off from the interfaces. Stop playing games and telling your own constituency lies.”

Morrison asks for an example:

“That there’’ll be a united Ireland in sixteen years. It’’s not going to happen. I can understand that one needs to make a constituency feel comfortable. But you can’t tell a constituency it is achieving victory when it is not. You’’ve got to understand how unionism works.

There is a huge insecurity within unionism. Unionism really hasn’’t had time to settle. They feel that the republican agitation is never going to stop. The one thing that unionists lust for is stability. It’’s the one thing they have never had.”

The interview coincides with the publication of a new biography of Ervine, by Henry Sinnerton. Thanks to Paul Dunne at Shamrockshire Eagle for this.

Mick Fealty

Mick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is a regular guest and speaking events across Ireland, the UK and Europe. Twitter: @MickFealty