A chara, – Under the stirring heading "Ignoring unionist opinion is not an option" (Letters, April 1st), Andy Pollak criticises Una Mullally's recognition that we must begin now to plan for a border poll ("Taoiseach's bland nothings on united Ireland fail us all", Opinion & Analysis, March 29th).
Unfortunately, Mr Pollak completely ignores the nationalist community in Northern Ireland, which suffered discrimination and oppression in the old Stormont and that is still met with jeers and sneers by leading unionist spokespeople like Gregory Campbell of “curry my yoghurt” fame.
If the unionists want to avoid a united Ireland, that could only happen on the basis of genuine equality and parity of esteem within Northern Ireland, but there is not the slightest sign that political unionism is willing to go in that direction.
What does Mr Pollak suggest that Northern nationalists do? Just suck it up?
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The only way forward is to expand the debate about what a new Ireland will be, find ways to reassure unionists that they will not be subject to the same discrimination and second-class status that they imposed on their nationalist neighbours.
And in the last analysis, if unionists are to have a veto (as Micheál Martin asserts) then nationalists should have one too. And where would we go with that? – Is mise,
EOIN
Ó MURCHÚ,
Cluain Dolcáin
Baile Átha Cliath 22.