To prorogue a parliament

Sir, – Brian Cullen (Letters, August 30th) suggests that not everything with Brexit is negative as the majority of us have learned a new verb, to prorogue. I doubt many would agree with this view.

In 1972, the Stormont parliament, having enjoyed 50 years of a carefully cultivated demographic carve-up whereby unionists enjoyed the exclusive trappings of economic and political hegemony by refusing to concede the democratic principle of powersharing over majoritarianism, was prorogued by the British government, which used its legal powers under the Government of Ireland Act.

It was clear that unionism preferred no power to sharing power. Plus ça change. – Yours, etc,

TOM COOPER,

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Templeogue, Dublin 6W.