Sir, – Nearly a year after Donald Trump's departure from the office of president, US democracy is still under attack ("The Irish Times view on the Washington insurrection: US democracy is still under attack", January 7th).
I believe we as a nation should take considerable satisfaction from there being no prospect of our being governed by a populist, hyper-nationalist party, with a deep ambivalence about the use of violence for political ends, whose supposed devotion to it has served only to besmirch the national flag, and towards whose leaders, shielded by a cult of personality, even the mildest criticism will not be countenanced by their automaton-like followers. – Yours, etc,
NEIL CRONIN,
Mallow,
Co Cork.
Sir, – In a hard-hitting speech to the American people , President Biden delivered a warning on the fragility of democracy (“Biden blames Trump for Capitol attack”, World, January 7th).
We in the Republic of Ireland should take careful note of that warning as it also applies to many countries in the European Union, including Ireland. Despite some teething problems in the first half of the 20th century, we in the Republic enjoyed a steady rise in living standards and a dramatic rise in recent years. For almost 100 years, which included the devastation and destruction that followed the second World War, we enjoyed a level of democratic freedom that many smaller countries could only dream about.
Outstanding success, relative to our size and population, has followed on to the present day and is now at a level that surpasses the most optimistic forecast on what we thought was possible to achieve. But it took many stressful years for the two established parties to mature sufficiently to appreciate the value of true democracy and the parameters within which they must work on behalf of the electorate.
Due to the emergence of a global pandemic, much of Europe, which has already shown signs of right-wing populism, has become noticeably unstable. Right-wing and far-left parties have made gains at the expense of established centrist parties. There are ominous signs of a change in voting patterns almost everywhere. The Capitol attack of 2021 should be a warning to all that populist politics has no place in a democratic society and should be shunned by all who desire the peace and prosperity we enjoy today. The untested claims of those who think they have a magic cure for everything ring loud and hollow across the whole of Europe. – Yours, etc,
NIALL GINTY,
Killester,
Dublin 5.