Sir – Gordon Linney (Thinking Anew, August 10th) reminds us of Henry Kissinger’s defination of a great leader as applied to Nelson Mandela.
That is “someone who can lead his people to a place where they they have not been”.
Yet while the flag and marching debacle continues to spin out of control, Messers Robinson and McGuinness fiddle (and march to their own respective tunes) while Belfast burns.
Like the vast majority of my compatriots in Northern Ireland, I ask the First and Deputy First minister – where’s your leadership ? – Yours, etc,
DR TONY McGREAD,
Harberton Park, Belfast.
Sir, – First, full disclosure: I have no personal interest in, or existential need for parading. Although I have been almost 41 years in the United States, I’ve never marched in the New York or Washington St Patrick’s Day parades. (Although in 1973 and 1974 I led the 45-mile Irish Freedom March from Baltimore to Washington, to the White House and British embassy respectively).
That being confessed, here is my suggestion: stop the stupid marching in Northern Ireland. I say stupid with all due respect, because if one keeps doing the same thing over and over again, with bad and sad results, then surely it is stupid. Why should grown ups – indeed, middle-aged men and women keep doing this? Does this issue really need to waste the time of the excellent Richard Haass? Does it need a professional diplomat to resolve it?
All parties should suspend parading indefinitely, or accept parades being banned. Stop being stupid! – Yours, etc,
Fr SEAN Mc MANUS,
President,
Irish National Caucus,
PO Box 15128,
Capitol Hill,
Washington, DC, US.
A chara, – One of your letter writers (August 13th), takes issue with Sinn Féin involvement in the Castlederg parade last weekend. It is hard not to wonder why such an event prompts a letter when the summer of orchestrated loyalist violence doesn’t.
Castlederg and its hinterland of Aghyaran is overwhelmingly nationalist. Yet to drive through Castlederg town and see the preponderance of Union Jacks and to be there on the 20 days the Orange Order and Apprentice boys have their marches, often with associated loyalist paramilitary regalia, you would think you were in East Belfast. This is the atmosphere in which people have, and always had, to go about their daily lives. There is a fundamental lack of respect to the nationalist tradition, yet I don't see too many letters to The Irish Times on the subject.
Along with the above there is Remembrance Day, when the dead of the British security forces (including the UDR) are honoured. These are the same security forces whose role in the murder of Paddy Shanaghan, not far from where this parade took place, has yet to be fully brought to light. Yet, there are no protests when they are remembered.
Why should the dead of one community have primacy over the rest? Is it really beyond the wit of people to try to understand where people are coming from?
The latest MacGill summer school has demonstrated our self-loathing is alive and well, but are we gone so bad that we are motivated to raise our pens against one dignified parade and let the entire summer of unionist / loyalist violence go without comment? If ignorance is bliss, there are some very happy people out there. – Is mise,
JOHN TEMPLE,
Chapel Road,
Dromiskin, Co Louth.
Sir, – If the organisers of various marches in the north eastern portion of this island had to pay for the security each march requires I would suspect we would have a lot less of same. – Yours, etc,
JOHN MORRISON,
Kildinan,
Co Cork.