"Rather than re-join, British should withdraw"
RATHER THAN RE-JOIN,BRITISH SHOULD WITHDRAW Your columnist Roy Garland uses the pages of the Irish News (6 May) to suggest that the 26 Counties should re-join the British Commonwealth. This development is hardly surprising as it is the underlying agenda of the failing Stormont Agreement to normalise British rule throughout the entire island of Ireland. Of course for those who now support British rule, from Paisley and Robinson to Adams and McGuinness, it may appear a desirable outcome. However they fail to take into account the strength of the Irish people who continue to oppose partition and the division of Ireland enforced by the British armed presence. Rather than re-joining the British Commonwealth, the interests of the Irish people would be better served by the British withdrawing from Ireland and allowing the Irish people acting as a unit to determine their own destiny. While your columnist waxes lyrical about the various attractions of Commonwealth membership, all these values can be enhanced by the British withdrawing from Ireland and allowing the island of Ireland to be unified for the benefit of all the people on the island. Partition would be ended, there would be no artificial division of a natural island and best of all the root cause of conflict, the British presence, would be removed, thus ending the age old confrontation. Over to the British and Gordon Brown for a reply. Joe Lynch Vice-Chairman, Munster RSF Executive Ballinacurra Weston, Limerick
RATHER THAN RE-JOIN,BRITISH SHOULD WITHDRAW Your columnist Roy Garland uses the pages of the Irish News (6 May) to suggest that the 26 Counties should re-join the British Commonwealth. This development is hardly surprising as it is the underlying agenda of the failing Stormont Agreement to normalise British rule throughout the entire island of Ireland. Of course for those who now support British rule, from Paisley and Robinson to Adams and McGuinness, it may appear a desirable outcome. However they fail to take into account the strength of the Irish people who continue to oppose partition and the division of Ireland enforced by the British armed presence. Rather than re-joining the British Commonwealth, the interests of the Irish people would be better served by the British withdrawing from Ireland and allowing the Irish people acting as a unit to determine their own destiny. While your columnist waxes lyrical about the various attractions of Commonwealth membership, all these values can be enhanced by the British withdrawing from Ireland and allowing the island of Ireland to be unified for the benefit of all the people on the island. Partition would be ended, there would be no artificial division of a natural island and best of all the root cause of conflict, the British presence, would be removed, thus ending the age old confrontation. Over to the British and Gordon Brown for a reply. Joe Lynch Vice-Chairman, Munster RSF Executive Ballinacurra Weston, Limerick