Sir, - It was with disappointment that I read Des Fahy's column on the Patten Commission's proposal to repeal Rule 21, which bans members of the security forces in the North from the GAA (Out of the North, September 14th). Mr Fahy said that the calls for Rule 21's removal were misguided given the current lack of political progress. As a party which aims to remove all barriers to sporting participation, whether by calling for an end to sectarian chants at Windsor Park or the repeal of Rule 21, Alliance obviously welcomed Patten's proposal for the GAA.
Rule 21 has forced people to choose between serving their community in the police or being excluded from a large part of the culture and community life of many parts of Northern Ireland. Alliance believes that this divisive ban should go immediately in order to help to encourage more Catholics to join the policing service.
I understand Mr Fahy's exasperation at the slow implementation of the Good Friday Agreement, but unfortunately the main problem has been that too many people have waited for movement from other quarters as an excuse to renege on their obligations. I hope that the GAA will instead act within the spirit of the agreement and repeal Rule 21 as soon as possible. Maybe an act of generosity on its part may even encourage some of the politicians who refuse to jump together to take the necessary leap of faith to create a better future for us all. - Yours, etc.,
Michael Long, Alliance Youth Affairs Spokesperson, Old Mill Rise, Quarry Corner, Dundonald, Co Antrim.