Madam, - As efforts to reach a settlement appear to be bogged down yet again, I wonder if the governments in Dublin and London can continue for much longer to devote so much time and effort to the affairs of Northern Ireland.
The attention which the area receives from the two governments is out of all proportion, comprising as it does only some 2.5 per cent of the people living in Britain and Ireland. Talks seem to go on interminably and intransigence on both sides has ensured that progress, if any, is at a snail's pace. It would not be surprising if one or both governments ran out of patience in the near future.
US President Theodore Roosevelt urged his diplomats to speak softly and carry a big stick. Perhaps the time for speaking softly in Northern Ireland is running out. - Yours, etc.,
M.D. KENNEDY,
Silchester Park,
Glenageary,
Co Dublin.