A chara, - The old saying goes: "`Where ignorance is bliss, `tis folly to be wise'." This certainly seems to be the attitude of the writers of letters (July 6th, 7th and 8th) comparing Republican Sinn Fein to the Democratic Unionist Party. Anyone with a modicum of knowledge about Irish history and politics knows the vast difference between the two.
Republican Sinn Fein represents the republican tradition from the United Irishmen to the present day, the non-sectarian principles of liberty, equality and fraternity. Opposing the Stormont Agreement is entirely consistent with those principles but does not suit the present not-to-be-debated consensus and therefore must be demonised by odious comparisons, such as are presently being made in the letters column of The Irish Times.
Of course the national media continue to operate an unofficial policy of censoring those who do not fit in with the current process in the Occupied Six Counties of Ireland, which means that the public are generally misinformed by reading the views of commentators who do not know what they are talking about. - Is mise,
Letitia Campbell, Brookview Terrace, Tallaght, Dublin 24.