Madam, - Having just read Anne Walsh's letter of February 20th, I am moved to express my concern at voters' motivations in EU treaty referendums and European Parliament elections.
I am unfortunately not in a position to provide the intelligible information which Ms Walsh seeks on the issues involved in the Lisbon Treaty, but I would respectfully urge her to vote on the merits of the treaty itself, rather than on a domestic political controversy which is serious, but unrelated in the long-term.
While I appreciate the temptation to punish the Government or a politician of the day by voting against whatever proposal is being put to us, the fact is that Ireland - and indeed all EU member-states - will continue to be affected by our decision to accept or reject the Lisbon Treaty long after Bertie Ahern has left politics.
Whether one is for or against Mr Ahern, let us demonstrate our willingness to act as responsible citizens and do our best to vote on the subject of the referendum itself. - Yours, etc,
FIONA DURIE, Avenue Chazal, Brussels, Belgium.
Madam, - Des Kelly asks Gerry Adams to explain why Sinn Féin is so anti-Europe (February 13th).
What I wonder is why Sinn Féin is so strongly opposed to what it calls militarisation, when it didn't scruple to militarise Ireland's national aspirations for most of the past 50 years, and when in fact it owes its present political standing to the activities of its military wing. - Yours, etc,
MICHAEL DRURY, Avenue Louise, Brussels, Belgium.