STEVEN ALEXANDER,
Sir, - I was heartened by Fintan O'Toole's perceptive column last Tuesday, which reflected my own feelings of disgust and sadness at the horrific murder of Daniel McColgan. But I cannot allow Kevin Myers's comments on the opposite page to pass without response.
In his Irishman's Diary, Mr Myers makes the illogical suggestion that the consequence of the temporary redesignation of three Alliance Assembly members last November is murder in North Belfast and elsewhere.
It is difficult to believe that a link is being drawn between a cross-community party that has fundamentally opposed terrorism for over 30 years and those who skulk in shadows with murderous intent.
So this letter is being written more in sorrow than in anger at his misrepresentation or misunderstanding of Alliance. Northern Ireland is still reeling from the impact of the UDA murder of Daniel McColgan, and while we all undoubtedly have a responsibility to oppose terrorism through our daily lives, for last November's redesignation to be cited as a contributing factor towards that death is wrong and misguided.
I do not need to remind Mr Myers that responsibility for the move was collective, with backing from the other pro-Agreement parties. Nor do I need to remind him that redesignation, even for a day, was not something Alliance MLAs wanted to do. It was done for the good of all, despite reservations, and succeeded in the Assembly's survival.
It was an unfortunate necessity, and would not have occurred had there been a voting system in place that did not discriminate against the centre parties. I would turn Mr Myers's question around: what is the likely outcome of telling the non-sectarian people of Northern Ireland that their votes count only when it suits the peace process? Answer: they try to change the system, then they save the Agreement.
Fintan O'Toole rightly identifies the weakness of the Agreement - the way in which it institutionalises sectarianism. He is correct when he warns that, in ignoring the "third tradition", the peace process "colludes with the gangsters who draw their borderlines in human blood".
Finally, he castigates politicians for playing the blame game and calls for a determination to work against the sectarian ideology of the "two tribes" that pervades everything from votes for a First Minister to job application forms.
That is exactly what Alliance is about - working towards a shared, pluralist, non-sectarian future for Northern Ireland. - Yours, etc.,
STEVEN ALEXANDER,
Alliance Party
Director of Communications,
Belfast.
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Sir, - I want to register the most serious level of apprehension about the editorial judgement which publishes a long account of Protestant fears and sensitivities, often about perceptions, on a morning when Catholic parents, postal workers and teachers are going about their daily round in fear of their lives. - Yours, etc.,
FRANK FITZPATRICK,
St Kevin's Parade,
Dublin 8. ...