Sir, - At this difficult time in Northern Ireland, the death of Paddy Devlin should give cause for reflection. A dedicated politician working for all the people of Belfast and beyond, his was a voice for social reform through political partnership in the 1960s, tragically drowned out eventually by the thunder of Orange drums and the crack of IRA Armalites. Had the Northern Ireland Assembly survived in the 1970s, I am certain he would have become one of our most colourful, effective and unifying government ministers.
In his later years, overcoming immense health problems, he published his autobiography, Straight Left. One of the most penetrating insights into Irish political affairs since the second World War, it is also an emphatic pronouncement on the futility of political violence, whatever the apparent short-term gains.
The University of Ulster wisely awarded him an honorary doctorate. Because his eyesight had failed, owing to his diabetic condition, it was my privilege to read his address on his behalf at the ceremony. Typically, a substantial part was devoted to the spirit and courage of the mill workers of Belfast in the 1930s in overcoming poverty and disadvantage.
Northern Ireland seems once again to be pursuing its destructive, self-fulfilling prophesy that all unionists cannot be trusted to share power and that republicans cannot be trusted as they are prepared to deal only with a gun under the table. The outcome could be more sectarian trench-digging and an indefinite extension of direct rule. In contrast, Paddy Devlin's hope was for a political partnership which could replace the manipulative playing of Orange and Green cards.
Ordinary citizens always suffer most from political violence. Tantalisingly, power-sharing self-government would lead to economic growth, enhancing the quality of life for all the people. Those who long for a fair, peaceful and democratic society - and I believe we are in the substantial majority - must send out a clear and resounding message which will fortify our faltering political representatives. - Yours, etc.,
Dr Brian Caul, Coleraine, Co Derry.