Sir, - I read with some dismay that the Cabinet is approving measures, proffered by the Minister for Justice, John O'Donghue, which give more power of interrogation to the police at the expense of the rights of the individual.
Freedom, which apparently is a precious concept and goal for our people and nation, depends on the fundamental concept of the presumption of innocence. This concept and ideal depends on the State being compelled to prove the guilt of the accused. The new powers, incarceration without a proper hearing, the restriction of the right to remain silent, the relaxation of the right to privacy, and the denial of the right to be represented when accused by, and confronted with, the massive power of the state, is a denial of the fundamentals of freedom.
It is an example of the Government denying the individual his or her fundamental rights, the rights that derive from the presumption of innocence. It strikes me that all of the history that I learnt in schools in Ireland, which was taught with an iron fist, or more accurately a leather strap, and which focused exclusively on freedom, has been forgotten or conveniently ignored by a Government which, for the perceived convenience of the people of the State, is now prepared to suspend the fundamentals of freedom.
So I ask, in this day when there is much talk about Northern Ireland, does it really matter in the long run what flag flies in Ireland, the Tricolour or the Union Jack, when the freedom we crave is an illusion? Does it really matter if it is London or Dublin that is denying you your rights? - Yours, etc.,
Joe Boyle, San Francisco, California 94117.