A chara, – Stephen Collins ("Sinn Féin appears to have lost direction", Opinion & Analysis, January 25th) refers to Sinn Féin and " its long-outdated policy of abstentionism". He fails to recognise and acknowledge that this policy delivered seven seats for Sinn Féin at the last British general election and that nationalists in the North had a very clear choice between that and the stance of the SDLP, which advocates taking seats. Therefore your columnist and others in the Southern press now need to at least acknowledge that the vast majority of Nationalists in the North no longer look to the Westminster parliament for their representation but to Dáil Éireann and a local Assembly in the North. – Is mise,
MARTIN KEENAN,
Belfast.