Madam, - In response to my call to renounce the notion of a "united Ireland" (September 29th), Gerry Downing (October 1st) refuses to accept that the island of Ireland is shared by two separate and distinct tribes (majority nationalist tribe and minority unionist tribe) and persists in the irrational nonsense that because it is one island it has to be one "nation".
It is strange that we nationalists have no problem in accepting that the island of Britain is shared by three separate and distinct tribes (English, Scots and Welsh), each entitled to independent self-determination.
We have every right to demand full equality and civil rights for our fellow nationalists in Northern Ireland. We even have every right to demand a redrawing of the Border to accommodate the greatest possible number of people in the territory of their choice. But we have absolutely no right to demand a "united Ireland" because this is a denial of unionists' right to self-determination.
While agreeing with my general thesis, Dermot Meleady (October 3rd) still hankers after a "united Ireland" based on genuine consent. Few could argue with this, except that we nationalists don't seem to know the meaning of the word "consent". Usually it means the unconditional right to say Yes or No. Nationalists simply don't accept unionists' unconditional right to say No to a "united Ireland".
Whether you're after consensual sex or "united Ireland" the dynamics are much the same. If the other party says no and you persist in banging on about it, it then becomes harassment and the other party gets more and more alienated, angry and infuriated. In fact the more you bang on about it the more certainty there is that it will never happen. If you use or threaten to use force to get your way, then you are into a whole new rape game.
And boy, have we used force to get unionists into our "united Ireland" bed. The formation of the IRB in 1913, the 1916 rising, the so-called "War of Independence" and successive IRA campaigns were all attempts to force Unionists into a "united Ireland". Or more precisely, they were attempts to force Britain to force unionists into a "united Ireland". Our courtship of the unionists has been more akin to a stalking Jack the Ripper than an inviting Kathleen Ni Houlihan.
Even our esteemed Minister for Justice lets his brains drop into his tribal trousers when considering the "national question". Can you imagine the despair of the average unionist watching the terrible twins, Michael McDowell and Gerry Adams, trying to out-do each other in the "united Ireland" stakes?
I would refer Michael and Gerry, and indeed all nationalists, to Albert Power's letter of October 1st where he states that if unity is ever to become a live issue it is for the unionists to seek it and us to consider it.
In the meantime, after a sincere apology to unionists for all our past wrongs, our only agenda should be friendship, respect and good neighbourliness towards our unionist friends. - Yours, etc,
DICK KEANE, Glenageary, Co Dublin.
A chara, - Ruairí Quinn's query as to when Sinn Féin and the IRA will "decommission" the murderers of Joseph Rafferty and Robert McCartney (September 30th) is another example of the depths some politicians will sink to in an attempt to score a cheap political point.
Surely the facts that Robert McCartney's murder is the subject of legal proceedings and gardaí are still investigating the Rafferty murder should have some relevance to Mr Quinn. Is he suggesting that normal judicial procedures be ignored?
Recently we saw the decommissioning of IRA arms and it was a significant step towards peace on this island. It should be remembered that it was also a step that the Official IRA never contemplated. Perhaps Ruairí Quinn's time would be better spent discussing the subject of decommissioning with some of his latter-day Labour Party colleagues. - Is mise,
EF FANNING, Churchtown, Dublin 14.