Sir, – Lara Marlowe ("Macron's team", May 18th) claims that two members of France's new cabinet have "Irish connections". The new foreign secretary had his Breton town twinned with Galway when President Michael D Higgins was mayor of the latter, and the new armed services minister founded a think tank that hired an Irish diplomat. Both French ministers developed "friendships" with their Irish associates. Am I the only one who finds this type of digression more than a little patronising? Not to mention that these supposed "connections" border on the ridiculous. Are these the only two French ministers who have Irish friends? It was reported in your paper a few weeks ago that Leo Varadkar had a selfie taken with Mr Macron at an election rally in Paris. Does this count as Mr Macron's "Irish connection"?
I feel your newspaper would better serve us as readers by casting a critical eye on Mr Macron’s policies and his questionable attempts to brand his programme as “new politics” and a change from “the old opposition of left and right”. This is what should be seen as “quality journalism”, not time wasted rifling through new ministers’ acquaintances to find a link to the motherland. – Is mise,
SEÁN Ó DEORÁIN,
Cluain Dolcáin,
Baile Átha Cliath 22.