Sir, - It is with some surprise that I find myself writing in defence of David Trimble. As a priest of the Church of Ireland in the Republic, I have long found the intransigence of Ulster unionism and its perceived identification with Protestantism, North and South, both irritating and embarrassing.
However, David Trimble is one person of the unionist tradition who has grown enormously and has made a very positive contribution in his present position as First Minister. He is the reasonable and progressive voice of unionism and has shown his ability to be flexible and long-suffering in the pursuit of lasting peace and justice for all the people of Northern Ireland. He has worked hard alongside Seamus Mallon to create a political situation in which all voices are heard and heeded. He is - and has been for a long time - walking a tightrope between the extremes within his own party and has thankfully held them together, albeit in a very fragile state.
This will all be for nothing, however, if the IRA and Sinn Fein do not progress from empty and meaningless gestures to concrete action. This is not the time for playing the cynical games at which both these organisations seem to excel.
If this is all they have to offer, the future is bleak indeed. We can already see the fatal results of frustrations within unionism in the internal disputes between the loyalist terrorist organisations. The current dearth of positive and responsible leadership in the republican camp is to nobody's advantage.
Mr Trimble and the community he represents deserve better. They have earned some recognition for the concessions they have made. It will be interesting to see if the republican movement can finally make the transition from hurlers on the ditch to meaningful participants in the political process in Northern Ireland. - Yours, etc.,
Rev Stephen Neill, Modreeny Rectory, Cloughjordan Co Tipperary.