Sir, – It is remarkable that Fintan O'Toole tells us in depth about the right of people in the six counties to be British and how that right has not been fully recognised (in his view) by sections in Irish society ("Demand for Britishness is high but the supply is drying up", Opinion & Analysis, March 26th).
Yet the inability of the British and the unionists to recognise the right of people in the North to be Irish isn’t even touched upon. We have had unionist demands for absolute primacy on the flying of their flag, demand for absolute primacy of their language and indeed primacy for every single symbol of nationality one can think of. Yet it is Irish nationalists who are held to account here.
I get it that the point of the article was to comment on the downgrading of the Britishness of unionists by the Conservative party in Britain. But surely the continuing campaign since the foundation of the Northern statelet to undermine the Irishness of a large section of the community deserved at least one line.
Brexit as a whole is undermining people’s right to be Irish, and that is the main reason the DUP supports it. – Yours, etc,
JOHN TEMPLE,
Dromiskin,
Co Louth.
Sir, – Arguing against the motion for MPs to take control of the Brexit process, Theresa May said: “No government could give a blank cheque to commit to an outcome without knowing what it is.”
Indeed, Mrs May, indeed. – Yours, etc,
RICHARD O’REILLY,
Sandycove,
Co Dublin.
Sir, – The series of Brexit indicative votes is, in medical terms, the equivalent of prescriptions being written by patients. – Yours, etc,
NUALA DELANEY,
Killiney,
Co Dublin.