No room for undermining the sovereignty of the Republic

FOLLOWING the forced withdrawal of Senator David Norris from seeking the endorsement of the required number of TDs or local authorities in his endeavour to enter the Presidential election contest, perhaps all the other prospective candidates, in the interests of fairness and balance, should be subject to the same level of scrutiny also.

I was concerned at comments made by the FG-nominated candidate Gay Mitchell on August 20, 2006 at the annual Michael Collins/Arthur Griffith commemoration in Glasnevin cemetery, when he suggested that the Irish Government should consider a role for the British monarch in a new all-Ireland state, perhaps even a role as joint head of state to accommodate those Irish who also see themselves as British and have a strong attachment to the crown?

I find it both bizarre and repugnant that an Irish Presidential candidate would put forward a suggestion that the British monarch, who is also Commander-in-Chief of British armed forces, be considered as a joint Irish head of state.

This proposal is probably the first time that any Dublin politician has openly challenged the continued existence of the Republic of Ireland state separate from Britain.

A political taboo has been broken, so to speak.

The very fact that this suggestion was openly canvassed by a leading establishment political figure and front runner for the Presidency is a worrying development.

This suggestion by Gay Mitchell in regard to the consideration of a dual monarchy for Ireland must be clarified by Taoiseach Enda Kenny.

I regard Ireland’s sovereignty as sacrosanct, probably because we had such a long and hard battle to secure it, and because we were a colony for so long we take the exercise of our political power seriously and value it very highly.

Irish separation from the embrace of the British polity and the existence of a Republic are non-negotiable basic principles.

Ironically, it was a Fine Gael Taoiseach, John A Costello, who in 1949 ended the last formal British link with most of Ireland.

It is imperative that we ensure that some in modern Fine Gael don’t try to undo that achievement.

Tom Cooper

Knocklyon

Dublin 16