Madam, - Sinn Féin constantly refuses to condemn IRA acts such as the murder of a widowed mother of 10 children, and other crimes too numerous to mention. I for one am tired of hearing Sinn Féin leaders bleating on about the necessity for us to respect their electoral mandate. In the current circumstances, if a minority of the people on this island are amoral or dim-witted enough to vote for Sinn Féin, so what? Why must we respect them?
Mr Adams has now told us that Sinn Féin will no longer act as an interpreter or conduit for the IRA to the Government. Is that a great loss? However, if the Government thinks it it, Mr Ahern could invite P. O'Neill, whoever he is, to Government buildings and tell him face to face the democratic facts of life. P. O'Neill could be offered an amnesty for the visit, which would not be the worst example of appeasement we have seen of the IRA since the start of the peace process.
However, I have a suspicion that were P. O'Neill to enter the Taoiseach's office he might already be familiar with its decor. - Yours, etc.,
TONY MORIARTY,
Shanid Road,
Kenilworth Park,
Dublin 6 W.