Ireland’s Future

Wishful thinking

Sir, – The absence of any substantial political representation of Northern Irish Protestants at the Ireland’s Future conference speaks for itself. As it stands, there is no historic example of a democratically elected all-Ireland parliament, and the inability of the Northern Assembly to govern its own electors does not augur well for aspirations toward integration. Remember also that following the 1998 Belfast Agreement, the support for the two most intransigent parties swelled as the voters retreated from the progressive and pacifist representation of those who sought harmony. It will take more than a knees-up to persuade unionists to celebrate the potential loss of their identity.

One man’s conviviality is another man’s coercion. – Yours, etc,

EUGENE TANNAM,

Firhouse,

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Dublin 24.