Madam, - The decision of the Alliance Party councillors to join the great majority of the Unionist block on Belfast City Council in opposing funding for a St Patrick's Day parade is, to say the least, a most disappointing development. Alliance has prided itself on being a cross-community party that has traditionally been stalwart in its opposition to sectarianism and bigotry.
It has helped to project the Irish liberal unionist tradition and hence won the respect and indeed votes of not only nationalists but republicans from the Wolfe Tone tradition.
Its decision, therefore, to be a part of a coalition denying funding for a St Patrick's Day parade is baffling. Only Billy Hutchinson of the PUP dared oppose Unionist hegemony on the City Council on this issue.
Tragically, the main beneficiary of the Alliance Party's decision within the nationalist block will be Sinn Féin, which has simplistically demonised the unionist community and the Protestant population in general as being essentially a settler/supremacist group in Ireland and manipulated this description as a justification for its immoral military campaign against that community.
At a time when the shortcomings and the fascist nature or Provoism is becoming increasingly apparent, the Alliance decision in Belfast has removed the political focus from Sinn Féin and unfortunately added weight to its malevolent ideology and tribal argument. - Yours, etc.,
SEAN and ROISIN WHELAN, Nenagh, Co Tipperary.