Sir. We are hearing much of Sinn Fein's supposed "electoral mandate" acquired in the recent Northern Ireland polls, and we shall no doubt hear a great deal more. Despite Mr Adams's rhetoric, Sinn Fein does not have a "mandate from the electorate" giving it a right to participation in the talks, as it refuses to abandon its policy of reserving the right to murder, maim and intimidate those sections of the electorate with whom it cannot reach a workable accord.
Other successful parties can rightly claim to have a mandate from the whole of the electorate, to participate, as they all recognise the right of others to agree or disagree, within a democratic framework. The mandate to participate is an entirely separate, and wider, issue from the proportion of the electorate whose views a party can properly claim to represent.
It will be a very great, even historic shame if Sinn Fein's refusal to acknowledge the democratic fundamentals of the mandate prevents it from representing its increased share of the electorate. - Yours etc.
Nash island,
Darien,