Sir, – Susan McKay's article (Opinion, January 14th) was full of sweeping generalisations about pro-union people In Northern Ireland. The Haass talks and the subsequent proposals were complex and there were a number of reasons no agreement was reached.
For instance, the issue of flying flags was fudged, in the final document. That was an abject failure, as the basis for any agreement on flags must be an acceptance of Northern Ireland’s constitutional status as part of the United Kingdom. The Union Flag should be flown on designated days on council buildings across Northern Ireland, yet nationalist parties refused to consider moving on this issue, despite accepting such an arrangement for Belfast.
Neither did the provisions on “the past” specify that signatories have to accept the basic principle that all illegal acts during the Troubles – whether the Dublin and Monaghan bombings, the Bloody Sunday shootings, Bloody Friday or the ambush of soldiers at Warrenpoint – were wrong and unjustified.
There is potential to reach an agreement across all the issues which the Haass talks tackled and the political parties, on either side of the constitutional question, should not pander to extreme elements in our society. It isn’t helpful, though, to heap the blame for the failure of the process on just one part of the community in Northern Ireland, without serious reflection on the complicated arguments around the proposals.
It is important to remember that pro-Union people in Ireland have made a huge contribution to all aspects of life on this island and beyond. There is nothing constructive or helpful about demonising “the other”, however frustrated we all might be about a lack of progress on the thornier issues in Northern Ireland.
TREVOR RINGLAND,
Co-Chair NI Conservatives,
High Street,
Bangor.