Sir, – I note that, once again, you downgraded by far the most important information in the latest opinion poll in Northern Ireland (News, March 9th). This is that if there were a referendum on a united Ireland, 45 per cent would vote against it and only 32 per cent would vote for (the rest being undecided or of no opinion) and that even among Catholics a far from impressive 58 per cent would vote for unification. This is in line with many similar surveys over the years. It seems that even Catholics are lukewarm about the delights of a united Ireland.
This fact is consistently ignored by all those earnest nationalist pundits (among others) who have glibly equated a Catholic majority with a united Ireland.
It is clear that in nationalist Ireland the best way to deal with unpalatable facts is to ignore them. – Yours, etc,
DAVID HERMAN,
Dublin 16.
Sir, – That was an extraordinary headlining of opinion poll statistics The Irish Times blazoned across its front page (March 8th). Do we really need to see in such huge type that 77 per cent of voters in Northern Ireland are dissatisfied with the UK government over Brexit? Or that 67 per cent are dissatisfied with the way the DUP is representing the North at Westminster? One might equally have headlined the statistic that only 32 per cent of voters there would vote in favour of Irish unity. – Yours, etc,
ANDY POLLAK,
Rathmines,
Dublin 6.