Sir, – A rare privilege among independent nations, the Common Travel Area arrangement affords the citizens of Ireland and the UK the right to live, travel, work, study and (in certain elections) vote in each other’s country. Yet there are people who still quibble about having to show a passport when travelling between these islands. I am always amazed by travellers who find it acceptable to use their passport to enter the plane but find it suddenly problematic to show that passport as evidence of the right to enter whichever country they have landed in. Given that there are many millions of non-citizens of Ireland and the UK living in the British Isles it seems to me perfectly reasonable to prove at the point of entry that you are indeed one of those privileged to enter without further question.
For those who think this is a unique problem, I suggest turning up at Lotto headquarters without a winning ticket, demanding the jackpot and seeing the reaction you would get. – Yours, etc,
KEVIN O’SULLIVAN,
Letterkenny,
Co Donegal.