Sir, - More than 200 years after the French Revolution and the 1798 United Irishmen Rebellion which followed it, the "physical force" tradition is alive and is being continually propagated as the "only" solution for the righting of historical wrongs. I would like to draw your attention to a little-recognised "detail" in the history of this physical force tradition. Its successful use depended on the willingness of its believers to sacrifice themselves for their cause, as did the early French revolutionaries, the United Irishmen, Patrick Pearse and the 1916 Rising leaders. However, the "Reign of Terror", the Irish Civil War and much of the paramilitary terrorism of the past 30 years have rather shown a willingness to sacrifice others for some partisan interest!
When I saw the range of opposition to the Belfast Agreement from North and South I felt that the common attitude which could be discerned between widely differing orange and green political opposition to it is precisely this willingness to sacrifice others for some partisan cause. I do believe that those who are willing to try to build a peaceful future, even with this less than perfect agreement, have definitely taken the moral high ground. - Yours, etc., Martin Moloney
Brookvale Avenue, Belfast 14.