Madam, - The Fine Gael leader, Enda Kenny, continues to play politics with the murder of Garda Jerry McCabe as the Taoiseach and British Prime Minister Tony Blair continue in their endeavours to cobble together a lasting peace deal in the North. The terms of the proposed agreement, as published by the two governments, clearly go beyond the terms of the Good Friday Agreement.
The wider issue of "acts of completion" is not specifically dealt with under that agreement. As a result, new approaches are required.
Enda Kenny apparently fails to comprehend that the peace process is in a constant state of flux. Conditions pertaining in 1998 no longer hold.
Thankfully, the Taoiseach is not as staid as some in Dáil Éireann. He can respond to a changing environment. As painful as the talked-about release of the McCabe gang is for the family and friends of the late Limerick-based detective, the prospect of a lasting peace may be a lesser of two evils.
The Taoiseach should be complimented on his preparedness to face short-term public odium in order to deliver a historic peace accord in the North. Real statesmen show their resolve in adversity. - Yours, etc.,
Cllr LIAM KELLY (Fianna Fáil), City Hall, Dublin 2.
Madam, - If the convicted killers of Garda Jerry McCabe were half the men they consider themselves to be they would accept their punishment. They could see out their sentences in the comparative luxury of Castlerea prison while receiving frequent morale-boosting visits from Gerry Adams and Co. - Yours, etc.,
MICHAEL SMYLES, Castle Avenue, Dublin 3.