Sir, - It is not by casting Sinn Fein into the outer darkness that we are going to get peace. Instead, we need political measures of an imaginative and radical nature. The peace process presents an opportunity for such political measures.
In Article 4 of the Joint Declaration, which brought about the ceasefires, Britain stated that "it is for the people of the island of Ireland alone, by agreement between the two parts respectively, to exercise their right of self determination on the basis of consent, freely and concurrently given ... " In fact, Britain seemingly made it clear that it accepted that it was for the people of Ireland as a whole, and the people of Ireland alone, to consent and agree to the new political structures necessary to remove the cause of conflict.
This recognition of the Irish case for an all Ireland solution, was rendered nugatory, however, by the very first sentence of Article 4, where Britain reaffirmed that it would uphold the democratic wish of a greater number of people in Northern Ireland on the issue of whether they prefer to support the Union or a Sovereign United Ireland.
It is not possible to equate this British reaffirmation with the principle of consent, also enunciated by Britain. In fact, it has effectively stymied consent by ensuring that Unionism will not move from its entrenched position on the Irish scene.
This contradiction at the heart of Article 4 of the Joint Declaration must be addressed if mutual consent is to be a factor in peace negotiations. Indeed, it is disingenuous of politicians to attempt to promote what can only be a bogus principle of consent, in face of the British guarantee.
Confliction demands placing the issues sing division - and consequent violence on the table and working towards a compromise based on the principle of mutual consent. The pre emptive British guarantee makes this impossible. It the responsibility of both Irish and British leaders to address this question and give us a platform, where the vital PEACE ingredient of mutual consent is not compromised in advance.
In introducing the Report of the international body on Northern Ireland in January last, the chairman, Mr George Mitchell, related the principle of consent to the constitutional position of Northern Ireland, asserting it "involves the ultimate constitutional issue of the legal status of Northern Ireland", adding: "It is plainly a constitutional issue. It is indeed the ultimate issue". Senator Mitchell explained that his committee did not address the issue because it was a political matter.
In the interest of peace, it is incumbent on politicians to take up the Mitchell challenge and create the situation where mutual consent, pinpointed as the vital ingredient in the peace process, is rendered possible. This would allow new political structures to be agreed by all the people of Ireland "alone", without "external impediment", as envisaged by the Joint Declaration. - Yours, etc.,
Lombard Court,
Dublin 6.