Reconciling Northern Ireland

Sir, – The latest initiative by Taoiseach Micheál Martin , to set up a new Government body “tasked with scoping out the models and challenges for different potential ‘constitutional futures’ for the island”, is to be welcomed. One of the key destabilising factors in Northern Ireland in the past decade has been the Brexit referendum of 2016, which was at odds with prevailing sentiment in Northern Ireland. As Stephen Collins pointed out in his column, (“ Tory press is still screaming about the ‘betrayal of Brexit’, but few voters are listening ”, October 30th), the Republic is in a unique position for facilitating a rapprochement between the United Kingdom under Andy Burnham ’s Labour administration and the EU.

However, the wishes of all the people in Northern Ireland must be paramount. Whether they opt for a united Ireland, to remain in the United Kingdom or for their own independent state, the outcome must initially be their choice. As the Garvaghy Road confrontation has shown so starkly, any strategy that hopes to be successful must be based on reconciliation rather than political power blocs asserting their historic rights. The way forward cannot be charted with roadmaps based on past grievances. – Yours, etc, HARRY DONAGHY, Northern chair, JOHN GREEN, Southern chair, PADRAIG YEATES, secretary, Truth Recovery Process CLG.