DERRY JOURNAL Editorial: Proposal to resurrect Derry naval base is daft

​Last week, it was ‘give the DUP a big hug’ while, this week, it’s a case of ‘the Russians are coming’.

‘Safeguarding the Union’ was full of dead empire rhetoric and base-pleasing Britannic fantasies very few will take on.

Imagined by a lame duck Tory government and Jeffrey Donaldson et al, it labours under the delusion that the product of their backroom tête-à-têtes means something to nationalists, the Irish government and the European Commission.

It did serve a purpose, however, in that it allowed the DUP to come down off its cross and get back to work at Stormont.

The Policy Exchange’s ‘Closing the Back’ door document is something different entirely. Rishi Sunak told Jeffrey Donaldson that he would be ‘delighted’ to examine its contents. The right-wing think tank sees enemies everywhere: Russia, China, Iran, Sinn Féin, Irish neutrality and says Derry should be resurrected as a base for the Royal Navy and RAF.

Where exactly? Did no one tell them Sea Eagle is now a beautiful public realm with bars, restaurants and hotels that are enjoyed by thousands of visitors and peaceable citizens every month?

The old naval dock at Fort George is now occupied by numerous businesses.

Lough Foyle, a famously shallow basin, is eminently unsuitable for its curious designs, unless the occupation of Greencastle is proposed!

All in all, far-fetched and ludicrous.

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