Sir, – Paul Linehan (December 8th) might visit Belfast on St Patrick’s Day and see how the essentially religious tradition of St Patrick common to all Christians here is politicised by errant youths akin to loyalist protesters, but with Tricolour flags draped over their shoulders.
What Mr Linehan should be doing is pointing out the utterly divisive stance of the Sinn Féin party (which I would dub the sectarian front party, based on its proposals to name council property after perpetrators of violence making such property non-neutral for workers in a Co Down council; the fact that Sinn Féin in the past supported the same IRA people who practised genocide against Protestants in Border regions; and Sinn Féin’s recent prison protest around the time a prison officer was murdered).
If the outlying suburbs beyond Belfast city boundary are taken into account, the greater area is not a nationalist majority. Hence the unrest in the outlying areas stretching to Carrickfergus.
Any official move to fly the flags of the two nations together on a municipal building would inevitably lead to massive unrest which, I imagine Mr Linehan would then tut-tut about.
Also, will that happen in Dublin? The British flag flown on municipal buildings should be exempt from the nonsense that it is a divisive symbol – especially as an element in it honours St Patrick.
I moved from a Border county in the republic to Northern Ireland over 30 years ago, have voted Alliance before, but never again. – Yours, etc,
Sir, – As a gesture of solidarity towards our friends in the North, would it not be appropriate for Dublin City Council to fly the Union flag from Dublin City Hall in the event that it fails to fly from the hall of their Belfast colleagues? – Yours, etc,
Sir, – They are fighting over flags again. How I recoil from all flags and national anthems, even when draped over athletes’ shoulders and played at Olympic ceremonies. They’ve been the cause of so much friction in this world, from Hitler’s swastika flag onwards.
We should all have our roots in rootlessness, and favour the invisible flag. Every time I see an apparently flagless flagpole, my eyes mist over and I feel a great sense of pride. I say to myself “hooray, they are flying my flag today!” – Yours, etc,