Sir, - In his letter of December 20th, Dr Phillip McGarry states that I "appeared to misinterpret" his position regarding integrated schooling. I think I could be forgiven if indeed I had done so, but I am fairly content that I did not.
Here are the facts. I said that I supported parental choice in education, and so fully supported integrated education as well as denominational education. I went on to say that I thought the forced mandatory integration of all schooling in Northern Ireland would be "quite dangerous".
Dr McGarry described those views, in his earlier letter dated November 18th, as "bizarre", "sad", "depressing", "quite remarkable". By any stretch of the imagination, I think, I was therefore entitled to presume that he disagreed vehemently with me.
Now he writes that he does not support forcible or mandatory integration. He wants parents to have a choice of denominational or non denominational schools, and he wants more opportunities for people to mix and meet across the sectarian divide. Well, what do you know if that isn't exactly what I said in the article that nearly drove him to verbal apoplexy.
We have now, after four letters, arrived at the situation where Dr McGarry agrees entirely with the things I said in the first place. Now did I win him by persuasion or did Dr. McGarry, as I suspect, get my views garbled in the first place because he didn't do his homework? I have a deep admiration for people who just own up to making mistakes. So far, Dr McGarry is not one of them!
Yours, etc.,
(Professor),
Rostrevor,
Co Down.