Sir, – Newton Emerson defends the Stormont decision-making process (essentially a "pact" between Sinn Féin and the DUP) and dismisses tensions as being the inevitable construct of coalitions ("Stormont deal-making sausage machine has its moments", Opinion & Analysis, October 15th).
He glosses over the fact that papers for the last Executive meeting were only handed over to the Alliance, SDLP and UUP members 15 minutes before the start of the meeting, confirming their status in the eyes of the big two as a nuisance to be tolerated but not included.
Surely Stormont needs an opposition?
A more useful question your columnist could have posed would be, if all parties are to be in government, from where is the challenge of ideas to come?
Why not defer to the actuality that Sinn Féin and the DUP are running the show and provide opposition and scrutiny from outside? – Yours, etc,
KENNETH HARPER,
Burtonport,
Co Donegal.