Sir, – There is flogging a dead horse and then there is Fintan O'Toole on Brexit ("First birthday of the Brexit hole and they have to keep digging", Opinion & Analysis, December 28th). It is now beyond time for Fintan O'Toole to articulate the "European future" that he imagines and advocates for, including its nature, scope and institutional structures; its boundaries and approach to boundary management; its approach to dealing with internal and external conflicts and tensions; its degree of militarisation and role in the world; and the future for Ireland in this context.
Continuing to lambast the Brexit debacle is merely hurling on the ditch; a way of evading responsibility for participating in a debate about the evolutionary direction of the EU. – Yours, etc,
H McBRIDE,
Castlebar,
Co Mayo.
A chara, – Is there any chance that Fintan O’Toole, and your newspaper in general, will give Brexit a rest in the new year?
The British have left the EU, and all Fintan O’Toole’s whingeing won’t change that fact.
Perhaps instead he might examine present and planned developments of the EU, such as the proposal to have a European army capable of intervening anywhere in the world “to protect European interests”.
Perhaps he might discuss the new German government’s proposals to advance along the path of developing the EU into a federal superstate.
Or perhaps he could have a look at the useless pretend parliament in Brussels (or Strasbourg) and wonder why it’s there.
While most Irish people see the EU as giving us greater economic opportunities for trade and development, do we really need all this militaristic stuff, all this hankering after the European empires that have gone, all this desire to make the world conform to the EU-approved pattern?
There’s a debate going on in most of the EU states about all of this, but instead of discussing any of it, Fintan O’Toole insists on giving us another dose of his anti-Brexit angst. Please, please, give it a rest. – Is mise,
EOIN Ó MURCHÚ,
Baile Átha Cliath 22.