Public outcry worldwide over the senseless slaughter in Paris and media pronouncements was at saturation point to the detriment of all other killings as in Palestine – dozens killed of late by IDF, not in Israel but over the international border in Palestine (West Bank). No media outcry; no moments silence; no hijacking G20; not even a line or after thought on TV or newspapers. Why? Is all human life not of equal value? Obviously not.
To put all of the above in perspective, imagine if Belgium security forces invaded France over the International border, travelled to Paris, commenced to demolish Parisian homes and confiscated their farmland, bulldoze their vine trees and built settlements and businesses all for the Belgian people and restricted the water and food supply to the rest of the French community. Obviously the French would fight back with whatever weapons they could get hold of. (In the case of Palestinians it is knives and stones).
If the French attacked the Belgian security forces in France and they opened fire and killed dozens how do you think the world’s media would react?
The first reaction to the slaughter in Paris was to close its borders. Do you think the Palestinians could close their borders?
It is said the French are seeking the mastermind behind the Paris killings. The Palestinians know the mastermind of their current killing and misfortune but he will not be arrested – he is feted by Britain, US and France as a great democrat. Why the double standards?
The blame for the Paris killings lies solely on the warmongers Britain, France and the US who invaded Muslim countries killing millions. The Paris killers targeted the terrorisers of their loved ones as Britain would if it was the other way around.
PETER McEVOY
Banbridge, Co Down
Respect for diversity only flows in one direction
I note that Dr David Maley (November 10) struggled to see the concept of being Irish as existing beyond a romantic notion given the reality of a century of partition, and tells us that 94 per cent of voters in the republic surrendered their territorial claim to the north.
He also tells us the Irish Government cannot afford independence. The rest of his letter is a rewording of Trevor Ringland’s identity theories.
In response I must tell him that the affordability of independence is about the proper management of our extensive national resources, which is in the hands of millionaire Tories in England whom we don’t vote for, and beyond the control that independence would give us.
And, as for the voters in the republic, it is not in their gift to deny us our rights as citizens of this nation, notwithstanding the Good Friday Agreement.
I must remind him again that the British government created this abnormal, dysfunctional and crisis ridden little statelet for the unionists at the point of their guns in 1921 and in defiance of the expressed wishes of this nation in two democratic elections.
How does that change or affect who and what we are?
On the main contentions of Trevor’s original letter which Dr Maley supports, I would remind him that there are few if any nations on earth which are not an ethnic mix of peoples from different origins and cultures. But it did not deter all those rugby nations from their national pride when they sang their anthems.
Would Dr Maley tell the New Zealand rugby team that their national pride to be New Zealanders is no more than a romantic notion given the reality of the ethnic diversity of the New Zealand population?
Finally, I fully accept that every man, woman and child who lives here has an equal right to be here and have their identity and culture respected.
But during the last few weeks of poppy bullying, sports teams and individual players were berated and abused, and every law on equality and neutrality in the workplace was violated with impunity.
If this has not escaped the attention of Dr Maley he would surely know that all of this respect for diversity and identity only flows in one direction.
JACK DUFFIN
Belfast BT11
Was this what it was all for?
Upon watching the news on the television and reading the papers of the supposed ‘deal’ struck by Martin McGuinness and Peter Robinson, I cannot help but feel a little let down.
I remember as a child of six seeing the joy in my parents faces as Seamus Mallon and David Trimble steered the north on the right path in 1998, needless to say there was no such joy in recent days. My generation looked to the promises of Good Friday with our hearts filled with expectation of a brighter tomorrow – instead, we have hollowed out thinking and further subvention by a British state that keep us at arms length and throw us the crumbs from the tables of Whitehall.
I wonder what the reactions of other people across the north are? Will this ‘deal’ ease the suffering and the hurt felt by the 900 families in North Antrim due to the Michelin closure? Will it bring truth and justice to the families of Paul Quinn, Columba McVeigh or the Ballymurphy families? Of course it won’t.
It seeks to further entrench our politics, our society and act as a sticking plaster until the next crisis when the credit card limit is maxed out again and when our demons catch up with us once more.
BRIAN WATTERS
Armagh City
A corpse on life support
I think it has to be said – the child born in the Good Friday Agreement, despite the flood of well-wishing that accompanied its birth, sadly died young. In retrospect its prospects were never great given the parental neglect of London and Dublin and the abject irresponsibility of the political parties entrusted with its day-to-day care – specifically the twosome in charge when it died; while arguing from completely divergent viewpoints about how the child was to be reared, they neglected to feed it. More than that they refused point blank to allow the wider community to have any say in its upbringing. It died of starvation.
But worse perhaps than the child’s death and the causes is the extraordinary denial that the child is actually deceased. For some time now we have been witness to the bizarre sight of a dead body on life support, as both parents and ‘carers’ strive to maintain the pretence that the child is still alive. On several occasions the crass incompetence and self-interest of the political parties in charge have resulted in the life support system breaking down – only to be repaired for a while before failing again.
At present, following yet another malfunction, it looks like it is being started up again.
But the child remains dead. Denial is not just a river in Egypt.
SEAMUS FARRELL
Derry city
Co-habitation is living in sin
The use of the word ‘partner’ is being used to legalise all kinds of co-habitation between both sexes and now there are calls being made to sanction same sex marriage. The teaching of the Catholic Church is clear, co-habitation is a state of living in sin. Marriage between a man and a woman is a sacrament that no human power can dissolve. Week after week we have the same old sermons. Could the priesthood not be instructed to clarify the teaching of the Church and leave the faithful in no doubt as to the teaching of a Bible and in no doubt or its stance?
WILLIAM AUSTIN
Lurgan, Co Armagh
Expression of gratitude
Leukaemia and Lymphoma NI would like to thank everyone who volunteered and those who donated so generously to our Belfast city centre street collection on June 6 2015.
£1,068.44 was raised at this collection organised by our Belfast branch. All donations go directly into funding research into leukaemia, lymphoma and other blood cancers at The Centre For Cancer Research and Cell Biology, Queen’s University Belfast. To find out more about the work we do get involved visit www.leukaemia and lymphoma NI. org.
FRANCES PARKER
Leukaemia and Lymphoma NI
Belfast Branch
