Sir - In order to allow my wife pursue a career outside the home, I have decided to stop beating her and my sons with a club when I do not get my way. It is also important that we all appear to be respectable and responsible members of society.
However, although I have promised never to use the club again and that it is now a harmless ornament, nevertheless I am not prepared to break it up or throw it away. What I cannot understand is why my family are still nervous and angry with me despite my assurances.
Are there any similarities between my position and the situation in Northern Ireland, I wonder? - Yours, etc.,
Andrew Gray, Cliff Terrace, Sandycove, Co Dublin.