Sir, - The groundswell of revulsion at the killing of Stephen Restorick in Armagh is laudable and right. And there are signs that it may be brought a stage further - to an examination, and maybe reworking, of the place of Sinn Fein in the media. Its current place was well instanced on RTEs Nine O'Clock news on February 13th.
Gerry Adams's response to Restorick's murder was a comment to the effect that "if these soldiers will be sent over here to die". Later, on Primetime, Martin McGuinness went down his favoured road of "let the political parties sit down". Interviewer Miriam O'Callaghan tried, but failed, to get him to speak as a republican leader - i.e. one who can express his views of his role and what can he do to stop such killings.
Let there be more of this approach, and let it be tenacious. Let Mr Adams, Mr McGuinness and others of their ilk tell us what they can do to stop these killings. Let us cut them off when they endeavour to deflect responsibility. And let us stop inviting them to bore us. As the SDLP's Seamus Mallon told us on Primetime, we know they'll not condemn killings like Stephen Restorick's, so why ask them to? Let us talk to learn. And if we can't, let us stop talking - Yours, etc.,
Malahide, Co Dublin.