I have just emailed this letter to the Belfast Newsletter, though since it has not published my last two letters, I have little expectancy of this appearing.
Like so many former ‘loyalist’ outlets, it has come under ’new management’!
Sincerely in Christ’s name,
Ivan Foster.
DRUMCREE
The latest Drumcree shambles has highlighted that which is already well known to many Protestants but which the ‘ecumenically minded’ wish to continue to conceal!
* Sinn Fein and those who support that political party consider themselves superior to the law of the land. Only that which they agree with is legal as far as they are concerned. They demonstrated that not only in Drumcree of late but for some forty years have declared murder and terror legal and those engaged in such as honourable and worthy of the highest praise.
* Garvaghy Road was not always ‘mainly nationalist’ as it is now described. That is a but a relatively recent occurrence.
But since becoming such, it is clear that any emblem or any person deemed to be linked to ‘Protestantism’ is neither welcome to use the road, or at least in safety!
There can be no clearer demonstration of the underlying desire of Irish republicanism than this – the removal of the Protestant people from the island of Ireland, bit by bit.
In truth, there are very few ‘bits’ left to be purged by terror and murder and anarchy.
* The total dominance of the Police Service of Northern Ireland by Irish republicanism. This may also be said about the powers that be in London, for undoubtedly the Chief Constable is under instructions not to ‘upset’ Sinn Fein by applying the judgment of the High Court and allowing a handful of Orange men to walk down a public road as they are legally entitled to.
I recall some years ago, a member of the RUC telling a news reporter, in the wake of the then ‘latest’ police reforms, that the Chief Constable would be issuing them with carpet slippers soon as boots would be deemed too aggressive!
There were ‘carpet slippers’ aplenty on Garvaghy Road at the weekend!
The DUP is showing its reluctance to tackle Sinn Fein head on for, after all, they allowed the republicans into power, by the wicked ‘power-sharing deal’ of 2007, in order that they obtain the glory of holding the ‘first ministers’ post’!
Today we are reaping the consequences of that that folly and the foolishness of supporting the DUP in that which proved a treacherous and disastrous decision!
Rev Ivan Foster (Rtd)
28th September 2026