As UVF and Red Hand Commandos follow their political representatives out the door of the peace process, Dan McGinnlooks at why loyalist paramiltaries feel they are treated as second class citizens when compared to their republican equivalent
Genuine grievances or simply a pre-Assembly election tantrum? That was the question being asked by the Progressive Unionists' rivals after the party cut off all communication with Sinn Fein and two loyalist paramilitary groups suspended contact with the decomissioning body.
The Ulster Volunteer Force and Red Hand Commando cited disillusionment with the peace process as its main reason for severing contact with the commission, accusing Prime Minister Tony Blair and Sinn Fein of shutting their political wing out of the real negotiations taking place in Northern Ireland.
At a sombre PUP press conference in east Belfast, North Belfast Assembly member Mr Billy Hutchinson, who acted as the go-between with the disarmament commission, explained their decision.
"One of the reasons the leadership of the organisations gave me last night was that the whole decommissioning process has been removed from Rose Park (the Belfast headquarters of Gen John de Chastelain's commission) to Downing Street.
"They also said they were concerned that this was not a process any longer, that it was instead a number of events for republicans. I think the blame for that lies fairly and squarely with Sinn Fein and with the Prime Minister."
Since the signing of the Good Friday Agreement in 1998, the PUP and a number of the parties have become increasingly concerned about the management of the political process.
With most of the focus in Northern Ireland since 1998 on IRA decommissioning and IRA activity, loyalists like David Ervine and Billy Hutchinson have felt more and more like bit players.
That feeling of isolation is also shared among several parties such as the cross community Alliance Party, the Women's Coalition and the nationalist SDLP.
However, it is particularly acute within loyalism because they are not party to talks which impinge on the UVF and Red Hand Commando.
One participant said: "When the process has been in crisis at various points over the past four-and-a-half years, the focus has been on what Sinn Fein and the IRA are going to do to get us out of it.
"Negotiations have taken place between Downing Street, Dublin, Sinn Fein and the Ulster Unionists and the rest of us have been left outside the door waiting to see what emerges.
"All of us have had to wait for a deal, having no idea what form it might take and have been asked to sell it but the PUP and all of us need a greater insight into the making of that deal, so we can prepare our constituents."
PUP leader David Ervine reflected that frustration.
The East Belfast MLA asked: "In real terms if you can't have sight of what the product is, then someone doesn't want to sell it or does not worry about whether you are going to sell it or not.
"It boils down to a very simplistic outcome, that the people of Northern Ireland, the unionist people of Northern Ireland, don't get the opportunity to take ownership and that Gerry Adams and Tony Blair only have eyes for each other."
Within British and Irish Government circles, sympathy was being expressed for the PUP's position.
But while they expressed regret, they defended themselves from allegations that two negotiating processes are in operation.
One Stormont insider commented: "I think there would be a certain sympathy for their view but in a negotiation like this, where the focus has been on an end to all paramilitary activity but principally republican, inevitably there are going to be bilaterals between Sinn Fein and the Governments.
"If we were in a position in the process where we had something tangible, we would show the other participants and involve them but we are not at that stage."
However, it would be wrong to characterise today's move as simply about exclusion from the talks.
Mr Ervine and Mr Hutchinson today cited unease about the IRA in the wake of Colombia, the Castelreagh break-in and the targeting of members of the unionist community.
There is also frustration at the image of loyalism at a time when there is a feud between rival factions in the Ulster Defence Association and a feeling that the Government is being harder in dealing with loyalist groups than republicans.
Mr Hutchinson observed: "There is also a notion that both the British Government and seemingly the PSNI are trying to decommission loyalism rather than decommission weapons.
"It seems to be that there are no gangsters and thugs on the republican side and, while they are trying to decommission loyalism, at the same time they are trying to politicise republicanism.
"There seems to be a one-way process and it certainly seems from the Ulster Volunteer Force and Red Hand leadership that all people are interested in is doing away with loyalism."
PA