Ulster

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32078, 28 August 1969, Page 16

Ulster

Sir,—l was amused to read “Northern Irishman’s” letter Inferring that Roman Catholic citizens of Eire were Fascists through remaining neutral in the last war. Any rightminded person could hardly expect the Irish Government to commit Ireland to England’s struggle, even though more Roman Catholic men from Eire fought for the Allies than from any other neutral nation, after toe way Britain had for centuries un-

justly treated the Irish Catholics. Equal opportunity exists for all denominations in Eire, but this is not so in “Orange” Ulster.—Yours, etc., CARDELL. August 27,1969.

Sir,—My letter was altered to give a wrong interpretation by “The Press.” The point I made was that Roman Catholic Italy and Spain, etc. (Pope included), helped Fascist Germany in the last war—not that Southern Ireland openly did. Also, for “A. B. Cederian,” no Protestant country has jerrymandering elections. How often do dictator-controlled Spain or Columbia or Communist East Germany or Arab Syria have free elections? Also, the Irish Unionist Government allies itself with the British Conservative Party not Prime Minister Wilson’s Labour Government—Yours, NORTHERN IRISHMAN. August 27, 1969. [We are sorry if our subediting of a somewhat incoherent letter distorted its meaning.—Ed., “The Press.”]

Sir, —“Ham’s” and “Northern Irishman’s” letters are somewhat racial. “Ham’s” Anglo-British “we” excluded the existence in New Zealand of Maoris, Southern Irishmen, Poles, Dalmatians, Chinese, Islanders, and Indians. “Northern Irishman” believes that because of different racial background and different temperament the North cannot share government with the South. Multi-racial New Zealanders, Americans, and Australians would think it possible. Eire did not support Nazi Germany. Thousands of Southern Irishmen went to work in Britain’s war factories. Dublin sent its fire engines to aid bombed Belfast. The naval base, Queenstown, was returned to Eire in the spring of 1939 because, ! as related in Compton McKen- ! zie’s “Octave Eight,” an inept ; Admiralty believed the sub- ! marine was no longer a men- ! ace in warfare. De Valera ! negotiated the return in line with the Sinn Fein (Ourselves I Alone) policy of political ini dependence. Though the ! multi-racial Commonwealth ' provides no ties of tolerance ; between South and North, toe t multi-racial Common Market . may.—Yours, etc., ! A. B. CEDARIAN. ’ August 27, 1969.