Opinion

Britain’s responsibility for Irish conflict cannot be written off

While I have no quarrel with Trevor Ringland’s call for ‘injury pensions’ (December 8) I cannot ignore his attempt to write off Britain’s responsibility. Mr Ringland invokes an African saying about much grass being trampled when two elephants fight. However, calling republicans and unionists the elephants in the Irish conflict, ignores the proverbial elephant in the room.

Mr Ringland casts the struggle as a fight between two ‘flawed ideologies’ of Irish republicanism and unionism. What of the  ideology behind Britain’s belief in its entitlement to rule as much of Ireland, among other nations, as it could hold? Do the many political theories, (or contrived excuses) defending  violence in the name of British rule not count as an ideology? Are there no flaws in that ideology?

Begin with those hundreds of killings committed by Theresa May’s ‘bravest of the brave’ at places like Ballymurphy and Bloody Sunday, which British colonial officials Villiers and  Brokenshire acknowledge? Add those murdered by the Military Reaction Force Terror Unit, most not officially admitted. Was nothing trampled and no-one hurt?

Whose ideology deserves blame for more than a thousand murders attributed to loyalist paramilitaries? Was it exclusively ‘narrow and exclusive’ unionism? Did unionism force the Force Research Unit to give weapons, targets, immunity, pay and supervision to loyalist murder squads? Were the FRU and their superiors within the British cabinet and military serving unionism or did they use loyalists to serve their own separate British agenda?

Who created ‘narrow and exclusive’ unionism? Surely it was the British who devised and exploited a governmental system grounded upon religious divisions and even carved out an Orange state to serve British rule. How could unionists ever force Westminster to indulge their sectarian system unless it benefited Britain to do so?

Where did republicanism begin and why did so many join a decade-long fight to free themselves from British rule and second-class citizenship? It was not some sudden interest in Wolfe Tone’s writings or 1916.Republicans believed that those who imposed an Orange State, used internment and answered civil rights marchers with Bloody Sunday would never give them justice.

Arlene Foster falls over herself curtseying to minor English royalty, is unwilling to make Dee Stitt resign, and is incapable of halting a ‘money-to-burn’ RHI scheme. Could she really block legacy inquests if Westminster was not burying the truths which such inquests might unearth?

Mr Ringland is certainly entitled to his view that Britain was an innocent party drawn into a conflict that was not of its making. He should not expect to intrude such views into this newspaper without being challenged.

MARTIN GALVIN


New York

Housing Executive must lead on homeless crisis

The news that the charity Extern is to buy a number of houses in north and west Belfast to help homeless people over a two-year period must be welcomed, but the Stormont Executive has a responsibility to deliver affordable, publicly owned housing and it should not be let off the hook.

The charity and voluntary sectors make a welcome and telling contribution to the lives of homeless and vulnerable people but there are serious problems in relation to the provision of public housing with levels of homelessness remaining at historically high levels since 2005/6.

It is already a matter of public shame that in a period of a few weeks earlier this year four people in Northern Ireland lost their lives sleeping on the streets. The executive must launch a publicly funded, publicly owned housing programme as a matter of urgency. However, addressing the homelessness crisis also requires the support of a coordinated multi agency response from housing, health, education and social development to provide all the support that people need to help them move forward.

Over the years the executive has overseen the gradual privatisation of the Northern Ireland Housing Executive.


The NIHE must be maintained as the primary public housing body in Northern Ireland for both the provision of new homes and as landlord of public sector tenants.

The homelessness crisis cannot be properly addressed without the reinstatement of the NI Housing Executive as the lead housing agency.

GEMMA WEIR


Workers Party, North Belfast

Negativity spoils Brian’s arguments

Is it really necessary for Irish News columnist Brian Feeney to be gratuitously offensive to all MLAs. It is surely an over statement to label all, or even most, as being semi-literate and uneducated. By doing so does this not say something about himself, possibly something to do with being middle-class, having had the advantage of a good education and therefore feeling intellectually and socially superior, that he is obliged to look down on those from all parties, who have had the courage to put themselves forward democratically elected by the people. Brian Feeney makes good political points sometimes, but spoils his arguments by being habitually cranky and predictably negative and condescending. It is not a column that I rush to read in the hope of being inspired and uplifted. 

CARMEL McWILLIAMS


Belfast BT15 

Time for electorate to waken up

Having watched the Stormont Executive lurch from one crisis to another and listened to the recriminations and outcry from the general public, I feel it’s time the electorate woke up. 

Instead of continually voting in the same people and parties, they should change their choices at election time. I would urge you the voter to take responsibility for the future and think before you vote. I feel the present establishment gives new meaning to the old saying ‘Nero fiddled while Rome burned’.

DAMIAN McGAUGHEY


Omagh, Co Tyrone

Thoughtful reflection on Christmas

I would like to thank Alex Kane for his moving, thoughtful reflection on Christmas as a time for counting blessings (December 23). From a man who says he is not religious or Christian it was a truly inspirational and spiritual piece and I am most grateful to him for sharing a deeply personal reflection. His thoughts on Christmas would make a wonderful sermon in any Christian church.

Fr JOE McVEIGH


Enniskillen, Co Fermanagh

Solution to ‘cash for ash’

Why not simply just ask participants to submit their yearly receipts for the cost of the wood pellets, from say year 2020 onwards. No receipts, no grant payment.

Give participants from now until 2020 to use any profit to be used for start-up costs.

Then from 2020 the yearly difference between the cost of the pellets and the RHI grant would be recorded.

You could introduce special RHI rates tax to cover this yearly difference and would be payable by all participants in the scheme.

This would mean there would be no incentive to misuse the scheme.

JOHN McSORLEY


Belfast BT5