UK political attitudes to NI

Sir, – Eliot Wilson attributes the Conservative Party’s inability to understand Northern Ireland to its 1972 split from the Official Unionist Party (“View of Northern Ireland as a ‘bloody awful country’ persists in Westminster”, Opinion & Analysis, July 4th).

The UK Labour Party did little better by banning residents of Northern Ireland from applying for membership until legal action, backed by the Commission for Racial Equality, forced the policy to be dropped as it was racist and discriminatory.

The Labour Party is still not a registered political party in Northern Ireland and does not allow its members to stand as official party candidates in elections.

During the multi-year refurbishment of the Palace of Westminster, the British parliament could usefully meet in Stormont. – Yours, etc,