Madam, - Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin TD, (August 15th) writes: "We [ Sinn Féin] are working towards an All-Ireland Dáil, representative of 32 counties and with jurisdiction over the whole island. Obviously, for that to happen, British rule in the North will have to come to an end. Does that mean nothing should be done in the meantime? Certainly not."
Is bringing British rule to an end not the fundamental issue/objective? Is Sinn Féin "working towards" that? How will it be achieved? What happens if it doesn't come to an end? What about the Ulster Protestant people for whom British rule spells freedom?
What happened to the Good Friday Agreement? Has it been terminated? According to the agreement Northern Ireland in its entirety remains part of the United Kingdom and "it would be wrong to make any change in the status of Northern Ireland save with the consent of a majority of its people".
Is Sinn Féin working outside of or against the letter of the spirit of the agreement?
Ulster Protestant alienation from the Irish nation is still with us. How do we deal with that? Can anything be done about it other than learning to accept and live with it? What if they are an equally legitimate people in their own right? Who decides?
Meanwhile, regardless of "Six-County representation in the Dáil", Irish people in the Six Counties remain subject to British rule.
What happened to our right to self determination? - Yours, etc,
MALACHY SCOTT, Glenarriff, Co Antrim.
Madam, - I am not convinced that Gerry Adams has much understanding of "Southern politics". In relation to Sinn Féin's recent demands for Dáil speaking rights, he should know that real power in the South no longer resides in the Oireachtas but in the arena of social partnership. If Sinn Féin is really interested in influence here, it would be better expending energy getting involved in social partnership than in a frivolous debate about speaking in the Dáil.
There are many minority groups in the State with very few if any such "speaking rights". These include immigrants, the elderly, people with disabilities, gay and lesbian groups, and Travellers. It seems that, by contrast, any Sinn Féin delegation can drop in for tea with Government representatives at will.
By exhausting the airwaves with side-shows, silly season or no silly season, whether it's the "Columbia Three", dismantling of British army posts in the North, or even Dáil speaking rights, Sinn Féin continues to avoid the only question that matters at the moment: when is the party going to allow supporters to join the PSNI and thus take a critical step towards normalising society in the North? - Yours, etc,
Cllr BRIAN GILLEN (Fine Gael), Leicester Avenue, Dublin 6.