Madam, - The Taoiseach has clearly stated, not once but several times, that Sinn Féin and the IRA are two heads of the same coin. To me that can only mean one thing: that the two are an inseparable whole, or less ambiguously, they are one and the same.
As it is widely accepted that the organisation that now refers to itself as the IRA - or indeed, any of its off-shoots - are in reality well organised gangs of ruthless criminals, we must deduce from the Taoiseach's own clear statement that Sinn Féin is in fact a party to the IRA's criminality and terrorism.
How can this fact square with the Taoiseach's ongoing commitment to include a terrorist-linked organisation (Sinn Féin) in some future talks in a renewed peace process? It doesn't make sense.
A renewal of the peace process, whenever and if ever it materialises, can only work if the talks are conducted between parties and individuals who are clearly seen to be above reproach, and absolutely without criminal baggage, regardless of a spurious mandate from some sections of the population.
The Taoiseach is deluding himself if he thinks that anyone else will do business with people that he actually knows to be unreformed terrorists.
He should forget about what is "on" or "off" the table and do what he was elected to do: govern fearlessly for the majority of the people. - Yours, etc.,
NIALL GINTY, Killester, Dublin 5.
Madam, - Once again the peace process is on the rocks. It seems a long time ago that Hume and Trimble accepted the Nobel Prize for their work on the Belfast Agreement and we find that, increasingly, this document has become aspirational in nature. Why is this? The vision embodied in the agreement was undermined by the focus on decommissioning. This was not helped by the side letter that Tony Blair gave to unionist politicians confirming that, effectively, decommissioning would be a precondition to Sinn Féin admission to power-sharing.
Is there any other major conflict in the world where total disarmament has been set as a precondition to an inclusive political settlement? Close to home, an earlier generation will recall that de Valera did not fully distance himself from the gun while he was embracing the democratic process. History shows us that arms are made redundant when parties to a conflict can exercise their political mandate for the empowerment of the communities they represent.
Much as they may be in denial, the politicians in the Republic cannot ignore Sinn Féin's mandate; it is the only party in these islands with councillors, TDs, and an MEP in the Republic and councillors, MLAs and MPs in the North. Its rise has coincided with a growing political vacuum in the North and the increasing isolation of the establishment parties in the Republic from the concerns of deprived communities. We see Sinn Féin representatives warmly welcomed at Government buildings at times of progress in the North and castigated as common criminals at election time. What message does this hypocrisy send to the party's grass roots, which are alienated from the political process in the first place? It would be a mistake to think that Sinn Féin voters are merely attracted by the whiff of cordite; the party has made an impact on the daily lives of the communities it represents.
The evidence currently emerging of the criminal activities of republicans is truly disappointing but hardly surprising. Unfortunately, it makes it easy for the reactionary/revisionist parties on this island (FG, the DUP and the PDs apart from Liz O'Donnell), which contributed little to the 1998 agreement and roundly condemned the Hume/Adams talks in the 1980s, to blame Sinn Féin for the latest crises in voices of shrill self-righteousness. Can they relate to the realities of daily life in nationalist/republican areas in the North? A generation that has grown up knowing nothing but political and economic deprivation and politically inspired violence will not be separated from criminality until its politicians are respected, and there is an inclusive settlement followed by proper policing and substantial economic investment.
What are needed now are brave and visionary political leaders on all sides - not the philosophy of sackcloth and humiliation. Undue emphasis on the latter will only strengthen the hand of renegade republicans. - Yours, etc.,
DES MURNANE, Kilmacanogue, Co Wicklow.
Madam, - Only a few months ago, the political and media established blamed the crisis in the peace process on Rev Ian Paisley's insistence on photographic evidence of IRA decomissioning. Given recent events, I am surprised that Rev Paisley was prepared to be so trusting. - Yours, etc.,
LEO VARADKAR, Rosehaven, Dublin 15.
Madam, - Could I take this opportunity to ask if Sinn Féin now supports the location of an incinerator in Cork? - Yours, etc.,
DOUG SLOANE, Bishopstown Road, Cork.
Madam, - Some of the sterling notes recovered by gardaí during their money-laundering investigations in the Cork area were found in an empty Daz washing-powder box. An excellent product, no doubt, for its main purpose, but I am prompted to ask whether Daz is really suitable for laundering money. - Yours, etc.,
MICHAEL O'SULLIVAN, Fairways, Donabate, Co Dublin.