Sir, – Derek Scally describes Iceland's Althing as "Europe's oldest parliament". (News, October 28th). The Isle of Man's Tynwald and the Jamtamót (the assembly of the republic of Jämtland, now a province of Sweden) have an equal claim to be the oldest.
All three legislatures emerged from the tribal courts of the Norse people more than 1,000 years ago. If, in an imagined world, the Vikings had won the 1014 Battle of Clontarf the Dáil might now be celebrating its millennium. – Yours, etc,
ALFE NINBÖRN
Stockholm,
Sweden.
