Madam, - It seems that no matter how much progress is made in the North it will never satisfy people like Niall Ginty (November 21st), who seem to have an obsessive, almost manic concentration on the Republican Movement. We have stability and a final cessation of IRA activity, which has been the goal of all right-thinking people on this island for the past 30 years. Even Ian Paisley is convinced enough to go into government with the political wing of the IRA and look comfortable with that decision.
There is no evidence that those responsible for the terrible murder of Paul Quinn were acting on orders from above. On the contrary, Gerry Adams has asked that anyone with information should give it to the PSNI or the Garda. No evidence has been advanced by law enforcement officials north or south that this was part of an orchestrated campaign being run by the IRA at the highest level.
By all accounts the murder was carried out by a local criminal gang made up of former IRA members. The fact that its members were once in the IRA cannot be used as a reason for questioning the past dozen years of hard slog that has brought us to where we are today.- Yours, etc,
PAUL WILLIAMS, Kilkee, Co Clare.
A chara, - I see that Sinn Féin, hoping that people might miss the fact that they are now in government and so responsible for government inaction, have launched a "Stand Up for Derry" campaign.
In light of the murder of Paul Quinn in Co Monaghan, they would be better to tell the IRA to stand down. And then get on with governing instead of pretending to be a perpetual opposition. - Yours, etc,
PÓL CALLAGHAN, Leitir Ceanainn, Co Donegal.