Sir, - I appreciate that John Waters (Opinion, April 13th) feels strongly about Irish neutrality and about how joining NATO's Partnership for Peace would affect that neutrality. Indeed, I share his concerns.
I also appreciate that he took the time to read my letter (April 5th) and refers to it in his column. However, he does not seem to have grasped the point I was making: the passivity of the Fianna Fail Parliamentary Party with regard to Bertie Ahern's "breach of faith" on the Partnership for Peace. The case for and against membership - and for abandonment of a general election commitment - does not appear to have been discussed by the party at any stage. And still the public awaits an explanation from the Taoiseach for the change of policy. All we have is the cod macho line that he changed his mind, so what? As a nifty dodging of the issue, fine. As an essay in accountability, more reminiscent of Charles Haughey than Sean Lemass, I'd say.
By contrast, there is a public debate taking place within Labour on neutrality, the appropriate role of NATO in regional and international conflicts and the appropriate response to the bombing of Yugoslavia and the atrocities in Kosovo.
David Andrews has infamously told us that on the Kosovo crisis the Irish Government's policy position is between a rock and a hard place. A truer analogy would be with some form of life that lives under a rock. - Yours, etc.,
Marian White, (Labour candidate, Blackrock Ward), Lakelands Close, Stillorgan, Co Dublin.