Madam, - I feel I must write in response to Gerard Hogan's extended eulogy to the 1937 constitution (December 29th). While I cannot disagree with Mr. Hogan's claim that the Constitution was excellently drafted, I contend that it was the spirit not the text of the original document that was its fatal flaw.
The ease with which he brushes over the original text of articles 2 and 3 I find quite disturbing. As these articles defined the area to which the Constitution applied they can hardly be said to be incidental to the overall document.
Articles 2 and 3 show the passive-aggressive policy-making which dominated de Valera's political career. He included these articles despite never demonstrating in any pragmatic way that he believed they defined the true boundaries of the state.
These articles among others were included for contemporary political symbolic reasons, despite the havoc they wreaked upon the island for generations. They resulted in the loss of thousands of Irish lives and effectively prevented any consensus settlement to the problem of partition. - Yours, etc,
Dr MATTHEW SADLIER, Monkstown Valley, Monkstown, Co Dublin.
Madam, - In an otherwise reasonably balanced article, Gerard Hogan writes: "One can imagine the fuss which would have been made had, for example, our Constitution required the President to be Catholic and to subscribe an oath upholding Catholicism."
He must be aware, however, that a new President, a newly appointed judge or member of the Council of State is required to make a declaration which begins with the words "in the presence of almighty God" and ends (in the case of a president or judge) with the words "may god direct and sustain me". As a humanist I could not make such a declaration and am accordingly effectively ineligible for such offices. This is a blatant human rights breach in our Constitution. - Yours, etc,
BRENDAN SHEERAN, Hillcourt Road, Glenageary, Co Dublin.