ROBIN BURY,
Madam, - What a breath of fresh air was Garret FitzGerald's column of December 21st, especially after the article by Mark Durkan the previous day.
Mr Durkan used the weasel concept of the growing "Catholic community" (i.e. Irish nation), to hold out the demographic threat yet again, despite the findings of the census. Dr FitzGerald exposes the offensiveness of falsely pushing the demographic argument for unity.
It is a crude weapon to use in any case, especially in a rapidly polarising nationalist/unionist situation, with Protestant anger mounting as the IRA refuses to disarm.
Dr FitzGerald makes this point by writing of "fears among a unionist community that has already been emotionally destabilised" as a result of "propaganda efforts" by nationalists.
The European Values Study on the North concluded that in 2000, 53.2 per cent of Roman Catholics wanted "Northern Ireland \ remain part of the UK". Perhaps this figure has slipped since then, but it must nevertheless remain high enough to ensure that the North would remain firmly in the UK for the foreseeable future.
Dr FitzGerald raises a subject that nationalists avoid: the "economic transfers" from the UK to the North. Graham Gudgin of the Cadogan Group has revealed that economic transfers from Westminster to Northern Ireland amount to some £3.5 billion sterling a year in excess of revenues raised in Northern Ireland.
If this level of financial support were to be provided by the Republic's taxpayers, it would mean an increase in taxes of about 40 per cent.
We need not worry too much about the performance of A Nation Once Again at the Fine Gael Christmas party. - Yours, etc.,
ROBIN BURY,
The Reform Movement,
Military Road,
Killiney,
Co Dublin.