Sir, - Ruth Dudley Edwards writes that Orangemen are decent people by virtue of the fact that they listen to the "manifold virtues of the people in the South" (The Irish Times, October 28th). She continues: "They have the decency to admit they are bigots".
For your reference, Ruth, a bigot is a person who is intolerant of any ideas other than his own. Ipso facto, they do not listen or at least do not hear.
Further, it is implied that John Hume lacks this decency since Ruth has always found that she had had to `'walk on eggshells" when in his company. Need I remind her that it is John Hume and the SDLP that have attempted to build bridges with the power-sharing initiative in Derry. We all know how the listening bigots dealt with power-sharing. - Yours, etc.,
Balliol, Oxford.