THE GRAND Orange Lodge of Ireland has made its second call for more unionist unity in as many weeks.
Deputy grand master Edward Stevenson said: “The one sure way to maintain the union is for unionists to forge a better working relationship and ultimately they can create one big powerful party that will have strength and a shared vision.”
Addressing Curryfree True Blues Loyal Orange Lodge in Co Derry, Mr Stevenson endorsed a call made last weekend by Robert Saulters.
“The grand master said he believed there should be one big unionist party which was big enough and modern enough to allow people with conflicting opinions to work together for the common purpose of maintaining the union,” said Mr Stevenson.
“He said there must be a drive towards unionist unity or at the very least better joined-up thinking between unionists. I agree totally with his comments.”
He said the Orange Order viewed itself as “first and foremost a religious and cultural organisation”, but added that it would be wrong to assume that Orangemen do not take an interest in politics.
“One of the many aspirations shared by Orangemen is to maintain the union with the rest of the United Kingdom. The union is bigger than the Orange Order or any single political party.”
He said when senior figures such as himself and Mr Saulters made calls for unity “they were a true reflection of what Orangemen the length and breadth of this country are telling us”.
He added: “When people like the grand master and I call for unionist unity we are not making party political points. In fact the opposite is true. We are saying that, as leaders of the Orange institution, we would be failing our membership if we did not flag up what Orangemen are telling us.
“The Orange Order has a responsibility to articulate the views of its members and it is then up to the politicians to work out the best way forward.”