Sir, - As an admirer of The Irish Times' informed reporting of Northern affairs, I was taken aback by John Waters' assertion (July 14th) that the core of the "sickness" of "fascism" in Northern Ireland is Orangeism.
During my long career in journalism I have consistently opposed bigotry and violence from every quarter and I have been extremely critical of the recent Drumcree stand-offs, including the part played by the Orange Order. However, it is much too simplistic to lay the blame for the entire Northern tragedy mainly upon one side.
There is intransigence and bloody-mindedness on both sides. The Drumcree confrontation, with its horrendous consequences, is a quarrel between two communities and that quarrel will only be ended when they talk to one another. And the sooner the better.
Sadly, the blinkered view of John Waters, which may be representative of a certain section of uninformed Southern opinion, makes it all the more difficult for moderates in the North to try to din some sense into the heads of the warring factions. - Yours, etc., Alf McCreary,
Belfast BT15 4GE,
Co Antrim.