I think a lot of very valid points have been raised here (not least of which my own), both in the forum and on the guestbook, and Caleb seems to be abrogating entirely the responsibility it has as a political lobby group to elucidate and justify its positions on the issues raised.

One wonders what mandate it thinks it has. One wonders if it has not greatly underestimated the intelligence of the Northern Irish people. One wonders if perhaps those people are thirsty now for a more open politics free of the threadbare nonsense dictated by accident of birth about which "community" the individual happens to have been born and indoctrinated into. A more credible politics run by more able people.

One suspects this indoctrination is failing seriously, as demonstrated by Naomi Long's victory in East Belfast. One suspects further that there are many young people who come from traditionally nationalist and republican backgrounds who now take the union as a fact on the ground and have come to value the good in Northern Ireland as an entity in itself, and are prepared to work with it on those terms.

And that there are many young people from unionist/loyalist backgrounds who are rejecting the gross weight of their own religious backgrounds and question the axiomatic mistrust of the "other" side, the baseless fear of "popery" and the fear of Europe having been proven to be nothing but paranoia.

The lack of engagement by Caleb is shameful. It has been accused of being a dishonest, anti-science, homophobic, fascistic, socially and economically ignorant organisation, and it has - what, exactly? - to say in its defence?

It has precisely NOTHING to say in its defence!

Pathetic.