Sir, I read with great interest your article, United against the Sassenach (June 15th), and would agree with your correspondent's assertion that the bias of their media plays its part in our desire to celebrate England's failures so joyously. Although there are obvious historical reasons for Ireland and the other nations/territories which make up the United Kingdom to take such a stance, I believe Paul O'Kane understates the pervasive influence of arrogance, insensitivity and an unnatural self belief engendered by an inexplicable hiccough in the natural order of things during 1966. (Anoraky observers of matters football, me in this instance, will point out that England never had or managed to qualify for the World cup finals between 1962 and 1982.)
Mr O'Kane, in fact, falls into the trap so beloved of many people south of the border (or across the Irish Sea how did you get away with calling it that?) in confusing British and English with his reference to the "English synchronised swimming team competing in Atlanta. It is issues like this which do not so much make us lose sleep at night as constantly grate on our raw, Celtic nerves. The English media's ability to be so consistently astounded by their nation's string of glorious failures has a simi large effect, compounded, of course, by the preceding certainty of victory over some Johnny foreigner who has had the temerity to challenge their erroneously perceived supremacy.
In conclusion, I would add that I fear Mr O'Kane underestimates the Scots' desire to see England defeated. Unhealthy though it may appear to external observers, some sections of the public would view a resounding drubbing of the English beach volleyball team by Greenland as sufficient excuse for a three day street party. Indeed, to this day, many view as inconclusive the television evidence of the alleged Maradonna "hand of God" incident, when Argentina scored against England in the 1986 World Cup Yours, etc., Macdowall Road, Edinburgh.