We are not returning to days of the sycophant and lickspittle

IN his column headlined ‘Where’s the Irish Mandela to lead us back into the Commonwealth?’ (September 29), Steven King performs a welcome volte-face in his apparent admiration for Nelson Mandela.

As the special adviser to the former Northern Ireland First Minister David Trimble, Steven King, presumably in line with Ulster Unionist Party policy, regarded Nelson Mandela and the African National Congress (ANC) as terrorists and supported the US decision to include him and the ANC on the US State Department’s list of terrorist groups.

In his call for Ireland to consider rejoining the Commonwealth, Steven King joins that small, totally unrepresentative, Anglo-centric, neo-unionist minority wishing to restore the ‘British dimension’ to the 26-county state. It is tempting to dismiss those like Steven King who favour Commonwealth re-entry as political cranks and malcontents, but this would be a mistake. People like him, by virtue of their profession, have the ability to influence out of proportion to their size.