Madam, – It appears that the much anticipated invitation to Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II to visit the Republic of Ireland is about to be formally extended, (Front page, June 24th). Following his meeting with the British prime minister David Cameron in Downing Street, Taoiseach Brian Cowen said there was no obstacle preventing a state visit by Queen Elizabeth. Mr Cowen further stated there had been a clear transformation in the relationship between Ireland and Britain which should now be reflected in the “normal courtesies of such a visit”.
I believe there are still obstacles preventing an invitation being issued to Queen Elizabeth, notwithstanding the unqualified and welcome apology issued by prime minister Cameron to those killed and bereaved on Bloody Sunday.
In November 2006, a report issued by the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice highlighted instances of British obstruction in investigating such crimes as the Dublin and Monaghan bombings of 1974 and the Miami Showband massacre of 1975. Furthermore, in a report carried by The Irish Times on February 20th 2008, former taoiseach Bertie Ahern, in response to a question by Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny in Dáil Éireann, said he believed a file existed which would be of assistance in establishing if members of the British forces “were involved in or knew in advance about the killing in 1989 of Belfast solicitor Pat Finucane”. Mr Ahern also said senior figures in the British security services were unwilling to share this information with the Irish authorities.
Are the families of those killed and injured in the Dublin and Monaghan bombings less deserving of the truth than those victims of Bloody Sunday? The fact that the British government refuses to co-operate with tribunals of inquiry which were set up by an Act of the Oireachtas to investigate such claims, it is my view that a visit by Queen Elizabeth is most inappropriate at this time. Like many people in this jurisdiction, I look forward to the time when a visit to Ireland by the British head of state will become a normal and uncontroversial event, welcomed by all, but clearly that time is not now. – Yours, etc,
Madam, – With regard to Brian Cowen’s suggestion that Queen Elizabeth should visit Ireland, I presume the purpose would be to give her back the keys! – Yours, etc,