Sir, - Ruth Dudley Edwards's defence of David Trimble (The Irish Times, November 9th) against the attack on him by Vincent Browne left me with the feeling that the lady sees the world through a one-way, orange-tinted glass. Nationalists, SDLP, the Taoiseach, even Tony Blair are referred to in pejorative terms, while Trimble is given her unqualified approval - well, perhaps he is "a little reckless"!
I have to say that I see a very different David Trimble to the one eulogised by Ms Dudley Edwards. I see a besashed little man capering along the Garvaghy Road hand-in-hand with his then friend Ian Paisley, partners and leaders in an odious piece of bigotry. That infamous action propelled him into the leadership of the UUP and, as the leader of the largest party in the Assembly, he fell into the post as First Minister. Of course he went to Dublin and entered into talks; he had no choice; it was what the people wanted. He also has to proceed with the implementation of the Agreement because the people want him to.
Decommissioning is a red herring. The guns will go when the Agreement is seen to be working - IRA guns, loyalist paramilitary guns and the 150,000 guns held legally in the Protestant community. - Yours, etc., Douglas Bain,
Newcastle,
Co Wicklow.