Madam, - Rather than ask how radical are the PDs, Paul Bowler (April 21st) should ask: how radical is he? If Ireland were "culturally and intellectually fit" for a radical right-wing party to exist, our society would be one that preached and practised contemptible values of intolerance, authoritarianism, and xenophobia (i.e., the opposites of liberalism), the very values that led to the establishment of fascist dictatorships in Europe during the inter-war years.
Mr Bowler expresses a desire for the formation of an Irish radical right-wing party. Fortunately the Irish public are mature enough to recognise the sinister shallowness of such movements, as seen at the last general election when they overwhelmingly rejected the intolerant pleas of Ted Neville and Áine Ní Chonaill of the right-wing Immigration Control Platform to "help stop the invasion and colonisation of Ireland" by asylum-seekers (2002 ICP election leaflet). The party won just 0.04 per cent of the vote.
However, with the growth in support for alternatives to the three main parties (Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, Labour), we must be careful that right-wing movements do not exploit and profit from the sincere, democratic-minded, desire for change in the Irish political system. Such parties have emerged in Western Europe, with the French National Front, the Belgian Vlaams Blok, and the Austrian Freedom Party capitalising on electoral disillusionment by offering populist radical policies which mask their real desire for a return to oppressive dictatorial regimes. - Yours, etc.,
LIAM WEEKS,
Loughanamon,
Claremorris,
Co Mayo.