Sir, – I spent this past weekend with a good friend who is English. During our conversation, he innocently referred to the Irish as British and said that while he thought England should allow Scotland independence, he didn't think it would be a good idea considering the troubles it (independence) had caused in Ireland. In a separate conversation with an English colleague in my London office, he referred to the Irish as Anglo-Saxon.
English people are generally good and well-meaning. However, there is a distinct lack of understanding of the Irish experience. Joining the Commonwealth would only serve to blur the history between Ireland and Great Britain without having any economic reasoning to support it.
The UK Independence Party (Ukip) is enthused at the idea of reviving the Commonwealth. A spokesman for the party recently told me that almost all the Commonwealth countries "have stronger cultural, legal and linguistic ties to the UK than any continental country". This is profoundly untrue given that the majority of Commonwealth countries are non-white and non-English-speaking. It is a mere clutch at an imperialist past, an attitude for which Russia is currently being heavily criticised.
When I mentioned Ukip’s aims to a fellow journalist in London, British-Indian and Catholic with strong positive feelings towards Britain, he retorted that it was a useless institution. There is no argument for joining the Commonwealth except to ease the discomfort of an Irish elite who wish to revel in the past glory of their British counterparts. Yours, etc,
NATASHA BROWNE.
Woodford New Road,
London E17 3PT
Sir, – Geoffrey Roberts (Letters, April 28th) grafts hard to dismiss any reluctance, fears and suspicions felt by those who would baulk at Ireland’s re-entry to the Commonwealth. Yet he offers not one valid, viable or valuable benefit that such a move might produce. He proffers “democracy, peace, human rights, sustainable development and the rule of law ” as being qualities to which Ireland and the Commonwealth aspire and resonate. Aren’t we already integrated to the EU, on foot those very same tenets?
As a republic we should spurn any such notion of reigniting our colonial past, and plough on with European countries, along with all other nations, dedicated to “democracy, peace, human rights, sustainable development and the rule of law ”. Up the republic of conscientious objectors, where hope and history can rhyme without galling our gast or palling our past. Yours, etc,
JIM COSGROVE,
Chapel Street ,
Lismore,
Co Waterford
Sir, – The very idea of rejoining the Commonwealth fills me with revulsion. Do Messrs Roberts and Walsh (Letters, April 28th) not realise that most of the member countries of the Commonwealth of Nations criminalise sexual acts between consenting adults of the same sex?
In Uganda, a member of the Commonwealth, vicious anti-gay witch-hunts and violent acts are carried out with the support of the Ugandan parliament. Please, no more talk of the Commonwealth. Yours, etc,
PATRICK O’BYRNE,
Shandon Crescent,
Phibsborough,
Dublin 7