Sir, - I share Gerry Moriarty's hope that Sinn Fein and the Ulster Unionist Party are finally "getting down to business" at the Mitchell Review (The Irish Times, October 28th).
Both states on this island came into being as a result of compromise. It is now high time that the big players in the peace process accept that compromise needs to be reached. After all, pragmatism determines that imperfect solutions have to be made to work. Perhaps all sides should take the advice of King George V, who in 1921 made a plea to the people of this island "to pause, to stretch out the hand of forbearance and conciliation, to forgive and forget, and to join in making for the land which they love a new era of peace, contentment and good will". - Yours, etc., Richard Egan,
Young Fine Gael, Tullamore, Co Offaly.