Sir, – Fintan O'Toole's talk of a machine gun is rousing stuff ("Brexiteers' foolishness gives Ireland control", Opinion, August 8th). Who is he speaking for? Ireland or Fintan O'Toole?
Assuming Britain leaves the EU, and assuming that, on seeing the back of a truculent member, who was never house-trained to the EU’s high standards, the EU moves ahead with its plan to tighten the project and proceed to a federal super-state, what will Fintan O’Toole have to say then?
Ireland has enjoyed a privileged relationship with Britain for nearly a century. A million, (two million?) Irish people have been happy to make their homes there, and been welcomed there. In these turbulent times it would behove all those presuming to speak for Ireland to box clever, keep their powder dry, and not give in to opportunistic posturing.
I am one of a large number who continue to believe that Ireland has better friends in London than it ever had in Brussels. – Yours, etc,
PADDY McEVOY,
Cambridgeshire, England.
Sir, – Recent correspondence on the Brexit and Border question has given rise to much misunderstanding and ill-informed commentary. Neil McDonnell (Letters August 8th) launched a quite disgraceful attack on the majority of British voters who exercised their right to leave the EU.
His pejorative reference to “less educated” voters cannot be allowed go unchecked. It is not acceptable that a CEO of any grouping be allowed to insult people in this manner.
He would be better directed in actually looking at why the EU and its masters are so unpopular not only in the British Isles but across its fiefdom. Voters are not asked if they are “educated” when voting but this mindset does expose why the self-entitled ruling classes in both countries and the EU are so unpopular.
Mr McDonnell, Sinn Féin and the highly misinformed Leo Varadkar seem to forget that the two countries in these islands are linked by a common travel agreement that pre-dates the EU and this will not change. Mr McDonnell then throws the hackneyed anti-unionist comments that belong in the backwoods of the 1970s. Sir Jeffrey Donaldson was correct in his comments on the prime minister of a neighbouring state playing to the gallery.
To this university-educated mind, simply put it comes down to the question: do we go with our biggest trading and cultural partner and finally stand up to be counted or do we simply roll over as we did when handing our economic sovereignty to Berlin. The Remoaners (including the CEO of ISME) are so bereft that the project has failed they fail to see this. – Yours, etc,
DEREK M REID,
Baldoyle, Dublin 13.
Sir, – The first part of Christopher Hillidge’s letter has, with out doubt, merit. However, I diverge with him on his suggestion that the newly united island of Ireland should exit the EU and become part of the Commonwealth. My alternative suggestion is that Ireland remain firmly attached to the EU, and Britain become part of the Irish Republic.
This would immediately solve all the UK’s current Brexit difficulties, especially the onerous divorce payment. Who knows, there might even be some wedding gifts instead. – Yours, etc,
CONAL O’SULLIVAN,
Dublin 2.
Sir, – The island of Guernsey is not part of the UK, but rather, a possession of the crown. Nor is it part of the EU, but is deemed to be part of the European Community for purposes of trade. Have the DUP, Sinn Féin and Leo Varadkar an argument here? – Yours, etc,
FERGUS M JORDAN,
Abingdon, England.
Sir, – Janan Ganesh (World News, August 8th) has no need to look to France's president Macron to find an "individual personality or a single proposition" bringing about "a new political order".
Nigel Farage and Brexit can take that accolade. – Yours, etc,
Dr JOHN DOHERTY,
Vienna, Austria.
Sir, – After spending a short holiday in the wonder-filled county of Donegal, it’s obvious that the restoration of an economic hard border makes as much political sense as the reconstruction of the Berlin Wall. – Yours, etc,
DERMOT O’ROURKE,
Lucan, Co Dublin.