Sir, – Newton Emerson, whose articles on northern (and unionist) perspectives for a southern audience are enlightening, needs to be challenged, I feel, on the facts in the article lambasting Fine Gael’s anti-UK bias in its recent stance on immigration (“No major party has been as cynical on immigration as Fine Gael”, August 8th).
He states that the Fine Gael-led Government “suddenly blamed the UK’s Rwanda deportation plan for problems in Ireland” in May without “communication with London or Stormont”.
My recollection is that there was ample evidence that the Rwanda proposal was encouraging certain groups to consider re-migrating to Ireland for a fresh asylum application.
And given the Tory government’s distinct lack of engagement with the Irish government over the past 10 years, it’s a bit rich to accuse the Fine Gael-led Government of a lack of communication with London.
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Finally, I’m not sure why Newton feels the Irish Government should have consulted with the fledgling Stormont administration on an issue which was (and is) entirely outside its remit as a devolved UK administration.
Newton has provided no evidence for his revisionist theory on Fine Gael’s immigration policy (which he suggests may be partly based on an anti-British stance). This time, therefore, his opinions are unfortunately just that – opinionated. – Yours, etc,
BERKELEY WHITE,
Ballycastle,
Co Antrim.