Madam, - Brian Hogan (May 6th) welcomes Fine Gael's abandonment of neutrality. He writes: "This policy was reasonable in the second World War and the Cold War.." In fact, Ireland was not neutral then, but rightly assisted the Allies throughout the war. Though de Valera's official neutrality incensed Churchill, it was an early Irish solution to an Irish problem.
When Ireland was invited to join the post-war NATO, Sean MacBride, as Minister for External Affairs stated in the Dáil "any military alliance with the State that is responsible for the unnatural division of Ireland ... would be entirely repugnant and unacceptable to the Irish people".
We appear to have remained "neutral" in modern times more out of political correctness or self-interest than any matter of principle. I too welcome Fine Gael's recent move. - Yours, etc.,
TONY JORDAN, Gilford Road, Dublin 4.