Madam, - It was with some dismay that I learned from a report in your edition of November 19th that not only has Bertie Ahern TD retired as Taoiseach, but he also appears to have retired back to armchair nationalism as well ("Unification of Ireland based on consent an imperative, says Ahern").
While Mr Ahern should be lauded for his efforts in the peace process, I find it painful indeed that despite 10 years of steady progress in Ulster, he still suffers from the myopic conception of unity by majority consent. His references to the "Republican imperative" - in a speech at the launch of a book by Dr Richard Humphreys - clearly show that he remains firmly ensconced in the hogwash ideology of the pan-nationalist myth fostered by Fianna Fáil. Even the ominous title of the book, Countdown to Unity - whose cover, unsurprisingly, features a man with a gun - could hardly fill any unionist with confidence.
Mr Ahern did allude to what unity would really require of the Irish people when he mentioned that changes were necessary to ensure that the British and Unionist traditions were properly respected throughout this island. But how did his Government embark on any such changes in the past 10 years? Was it by reviving the offensive military victory parade commemorating the "blood sacrifice" of 1916?
Was it by his government's failure to protect the first Orange Order march in Dublin in nearly 100 years? Or by foiling attempts to open an inquiry into the 1970 Arms Crisis? Will we ever see the memorials to Lord Nelson and King William back on the streets of Dublin again?
Somehow it will take far more than a warm cup of tea in the Áras and a handshake on the Boyne to unify two peoples. We all know there is only one broad political church that has always truly valued both the orange and the green. Let's just hope for the sake of the future and for unity that this is the voice that prevails. - Yours, etc,