Columnist in no position to criticise this state

YOUR columnist Steven King, in his strident critique of our political institutions (March 17), basks in the luxury of moral selectivity in his perpetual search for perceived political inadequacies in the Republic.

After claiming that “all constitutions require a refit once in a while, which the current Government has neglected since 1997”, he then launched an attack on the term of office of the president, stating that “seven years is a very long time to imprison someone in the Phoenix Park”.

May I suggest to Mr King that before he looks down his nose at the “perceived inadequacies” of Irish state institutions, he reflect on his own involvement with a political party and system that tolerated to excess every social, moral and political delinquency which in most civilised societies would be a cause of opprobrium.

I refer to Mr King’s position as senior adviser to the Ulster Unionist Party and David Trimble’s right-hand-man. The monolithic UUP rendered moral and social responsibility obsolete in their treatment of almost half the population of the North from 1921 until Stormont was prorogued in 1971.

For half a century – not seven years – Catholics were imprisoned in politically constructed ghettos and were denied equal access to jobs, and to ensure the unbridled continuation of this odious policy, nationalists were denied equal voting rights.

Mr King, apparently, wasn’t sufficiently offended by this behaviour as he merrily rode the sectarian unionist bandwagon.

How can one who has aligned himself with a political party so entrenched in illiberal views offer wise counsel?

Tom Cooper

Delaford Lawn

Knocklyon

Dublin 16