Letter: Leo Varadkar will have to live with Sinn Fein in power – just as he tells us we must do in Northern Ireland

A letter from Rev Alan Erwin:
NI Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris, NI civil service head Jayne Brady, and Taoiseach Leo Varadkar in Enniskillen on Remembrance Sunday last month. Mr Varadkar urges Sinn Fein to say that the IRA bomb at Enniskillen was wrong​​​​​​​. Picture Liam McBurneyNI Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris, NI civil service head Jayne Brady, and Taoiseach Leo Varadkar in Enniskillen on Remembrance Sunday last month. Mr Varadkar urges Sinn Fein to say that the IRA bomb at Enniskillen was wrong​​​​​​​. Picture Liam McBurney
NI Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris, NI civil service head Jayne Brady, and Taoiseach Leo Varadkar in Enniskillen on Remembrance Sunday last month. Mr Varadkar urges Sinn Fein to say that the IRA bomb at Enniskillen was wrong​​​​​​​. Picture Liam McBurney
By Letters
Published 10th Dec 2023, 22:40 BST
Updated 10th Dec 2023, 23:00 BST

If Sinn Fein is ‘unsuitable’ for government in Dublin, even though they sit as TDs in the Dáil, then it follows that they are also unsuitable for the Northern Ireland Assembly (‘Varadkar says SF are unsuitable for government - as he accuses the party of ignoring IRA war crimes,’ December 7).

This is the reality Leo Varadkar and others need to understand, the double speak must end.

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Mr Varadkar suggests that the very thought of Sinn Fein being in senior government roles "repulses" him. He has said that they are "unsuitable to be Taoiseach, to be minister of justice, or defence minister in the next Irish government or any government".

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He argues that this is because they have failed to acknowledge ‘war crimes’ perpetrated by the Provisional IRA as being wrong.

He states that Sinn Fein’s failure to admit the murder of Irish public servants, or that of Enniskillen or many other atrocities carried out by the IRA were wrong and were criminal acts.

If it is unacceptable for a Dublin government then it is unacceptable for a NI Executive.

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Yet, Mr Varadkar has consistently joined the chorus of voices calling for the restoration of the NI Executive and Assembly with members of Sinn Fein holding senior positions – the same party who he apparently finds unsuitable to hold certain positions in the south.

Why is it acceptable for Northern Ireland to have unrepentant terrorists, eulogisers and those who glorify terrorism as ministers, or sitting on the policing board?

The powers that be will quickly tell you that Sinn Fein have a mandate and that the people voted for the Belfast Agreement and that this is its outworking.

If Sinn Fein secure a mandate in the south to form a government then Mr Varadkar and others will just have to live with it and accept the consequences, as they have expected unionists and others to do so in Northern Ireland.

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The Taoiseach needs to end the hypocrisy and double speak, it's not good enough to consign the 'nordies' to this fate whilst portraying a doomsday scenario in the Republic, it doesn't wash and Mr Varadkar needs to finally show some consistency on these matters, and that includes opening up his state to scrutiny for their role in facilitating terrorism and the broader 'Troubles.'

​Canon Alan Irwin, Lack, Fermanagh

Related topics:Sinn FeinNorthern IrelandIRA