Sir, - In an attempt to achieve a politically balanced position, Fintan O'Toole writes (Opinion, May 9th): "It must be possible, after all, to show at least as much sensitivity to the RUC's pride as the new decommissioning proposals show towards the IRA's". In fact, the demand that there be no change in the name and symbols of the RUC is coming from the various strands of unionism and is overtly linked to the demand that the governmental and administrative institutions retain their British symbols and ceremonial. Mr O'Toole's idea of balance is to deny a demand of the overwhelming majority of the nationalist community (a police force which symbolically declares its service to both sides of the population) in return for a concession to a political position of a minority of the nationalist community - republican sensitivity on the modalities of removing weapons from the political life of Northern Ireland.
The full implementation of the Patten report (which is the compromise) is vital if we are to have a peaceful future and a workable political system in Northern Ireland. In a deeply divided society like Northern Ireland, if the police force is proclaimed, through its name and symbols, to be part of one of the sections of that divided society, then its effectiveness as a police force is deeply compromised. We badly need a police force that is accepted by the whole of society, that is representative of the whole of society, and that is clearly seen to be at the service of the whole of society.
Those people who proclaim themselves to be stern upholders of law and order and, at the same time, claim, by means of its symbolic language, unionist ownership of the police force are profoundly hypocritical. Yours, etc.,
Alasdair McDonnell, SDLP South Belfast, Derryvolgie Avenue, Belfast 9.