Sir, – It is right and proper that Martin McGuinness should have his past actions as a member of the IRA scrutinised. However, we in the Republic, particularly our politicians and political commentators, need to put ourselves under the spotlight as far as our attitudes to the Northern Ireland conflict are concerned. The reality is that the 30-year IRA war was facilitated by the refusal of the Republic to extradite to Britain republicans who were deemed to have committed “political offences”. We also need to ask ourselves if the Republic took all the security steps which it could have taken to bring this war to an earlier close. I suspect the answer is no.
It may be that Mr McGuinness’s presence in the presidential race is making many of our senior politicians uncomfortable because they themselves did not do all they could have to end the conflict. – Yours, etc,
Sir, – So which current Fianna Fáil TD was in Ógra Fianna Fáil and served on its national committee, acted as an adviser to a former Minister for Health, was appointed to a State board by the same Fianna Fáil minister, worked for Fianna Fáil Party headquarters, was a director of elections for a Fianna Fáil TD and served on the national executive for Fianna Fáil? Answer: none of them – the possessor of this “political” CV is none other than “independent” presidential candidate, Seán Gallagher! – Yours, etc,
Sir, – Unfortunately I don’t have a vote in the forthcoming Presidential election due to my present domicile. If I did, I would like to vote for a candidate who can change a wheel on a car. – Yours, etc,
A chara, – Ironically David Wilkins (October 21st) criticises Martin McGuinness’s commitment to the democratic process by pointing out that he has never taken his seat in Westminster and gives a “substantial proportion” of his salary to his party. This is “exactly what it says on the tin” of his party’s manifesto. I would suggest that Sinn Féin MPs are the only politicians elected to London to consistently deliver on 100 per cent of their manifesto promises over the years. What more of a commitment to democracy would Mr Wilkins demand? – Is mise,
Sir, – With the opprobrium that is often heaped upon politicians, it is interesting to reflect that the two candidates who have been the most courageous, honest and consistent in this campaign have been Gay Mitchell and Michael D Higgins. Both are career politicians from democratic parties who have, in their very different ways, have been utterly transparent about their careers and the values they seek to bring to the presidency. Each of the other candidates has been less than forthcoming about some issue in their past, ranging from (at the very least) support for terrorism to obfuscation about their role in an unpopular political party.
When casting my vote that honesty factor shall be uppermost in my mind. – Yours, etc,