Sir, - No authority is given by the Irish Constitution to Mr Bruton to reject the lawfully elected representatives of Irish citizens or to cooperate with a foreign government to disenfranchise Irish citizens under its jurisdiction. If a government is allowed to set aside the lawfully elected representatives of the people, it can use this power in the future to eliminate any of its political opponents. This should not be allowed to happen.
The goodness or badness, acceptability or otherwise of the IRA or of Sinn Fein is not the issue. It is we, the voters, who give permission and authority to political representatives to negotiate on our behalf. It is we and only we, the voters, who have the authority to withdraw that delegation. That is the issue.
Irish people must now make up their minds whether they accept the primary principle of democracy, the right of people to determine who their representatives shall be. Mr Bruton and his government do not. Neither does the British government.
This is probably the most serious issue facing Irish democrats since the foundation of the two states. At the moment the democrats seem to be losing. Is there not need for a constitutional case to be taken against the rejection of a basic democratic principle by Mr Bruton's government? Or are we content to wait to see who will be excluded next and hope it won't be us? - Yours, etc.
Springhill Close,
Belfast, BT12 7SE