Madam, - Perhaps you would allow us to counter the attacks made against Michael D. Higgins and other progressive elements within the Labour party by Cllr Aidan Culhane and former TD Alan Shatter (August 10th). Their attempts to label the left in the Labour Party as anti-American is derisory, disingenuous and tangential to the points at hand.
Indeed, Mr Shatter's moral outrage at the provision of missiles to Hizbullah by Iran does not seem to be mirrored by any similar disgust at the US government's supply of nuclear and other weapons to Israel.
His apologia for Israel's slaughter of civilians has been clear for some time. But it is a surprise and pity that a Labour Party representative, not least one competing with him for the Dublin South constituency, agrees with such a reactionary analysis.
While we agree with Cllr Culhane that the civilian deaths are an outrage, it is important to note that over 90 per cent of them are Lebanese. These statistics are completely at odds with Cllr Culhane's baseless claims that "Israel's capacity to wage war seems more than matched by Hizbullah's capacity to fire rockets".
As activists who have been previously supportive of Cllr Culhane's election campaigns in Dublin South, we are dismayed at his reactionary and over-simplistic arguments based on Israel's "right to defend itself".
Perhaps he would do well to steer clear of the politics of spin and media and instead return to the basic engagement with left-wing politics which previously maintained a Labour seat in Dublin South. - Yours, etc,
DERMOT LOONEY, Greenhills; ENDA DUFFY, KAREN O'CONNELL, KATRIONA CONWAY, Stillorgan, Co Dublin.
Madam, - Bravely, Alan Shatter of Fine Gael seeks to replace the faulty, out-moded, junction-box of Irish foreign-policy thinking on America, the Middle East, and Islamic Jihadist terrorism. In today's world, the currents of simplistic, reflexive, anti-Americanism, of appeasement in the face of sectarian terrorism, and of prejudice against Israel, are positively dangerous. John McManus and Aidan Culhane of the Labour Party show that there are minds on the Irish political left who are constructing a more practical, enlightened, relevant, perspective. Sadly, Jim O'Leary of Fine Gael implies that Israel should defend itself with its two hands tied behind its back.
Clearly, grabbing suddenly the sharp edges of a complex question is bound to shred your logic and common sense. But let's hear more on the issues from our politicians, including Michael D. Higgins. For Alan Shatter is correct: A better politics on this vital subject is surely something we sorely need. - Yours, etc,
TOM COONEY, Boden Park, Rathfarnham, Dublin 16.
Madam, - Your edition of August 10th reported that Hizbullah had struck Israeli cites and towns with more than 3,000 rockets in the past month.While this is obviously a shocking statistic, I have yet to hear in over a month of intense coverage how many bombs Israel has dropped on Lebanon.
According to some reports Israel dropped, last Saturday alone, 4,000 bombs within seven hours, destroying the border village of Aytarun with 2,000 bombs.
The total death toll from the Israeli invasion is approaching 1,000, with many more injured. One third of those deaths are of children under 12. Can we have a little perspective? - Yours, etc,
DAVID MANNING, Sandymount, Dublin 4.