Sir: Though I am doubtful about the value of economic
parallels between the Greek-Roman civilisation and our own (and indeed his analysis of our inflation problem is in no way dependent on such argument from analogy), Mr Fisher's reference to ' stasis ' (Letters, March 4) is relevant to modern history since the Russian Revolution. It is relevant to the Irish situation now.
' Stasis involved the willingness of the rival parties in the less important city states to look to Athens and Sparta respectively for inspiration and help.
The victory of Lenin altered the meaning of treason. Though conventional trials for treason have continued everywhere, it has been possible for the individuals involved to claim that in looking to foreign countries they were seeking the best interests of their own. This applies both to revolutionaries and to counter-revolutionaries.
A few weeks ago a group of Belfast Noncomformist teenagers were in Manchester under nihilist auspices. These views of some of them were made known by the local media and presumably they reflected the outlook of their parents. Civil war was generally regarded as inevitable and one lad regretted the arrival of British troops, when the Catholics were, he said, within two weeks of utter defeat; "We have taken enough stick from Catholics."
A more kindly and highly relevant view was that the Catholics were misled and were being used as pawns in a game to the ultimate benefit of Communism. And this is where ' stasis ' romes in. There is a fear among Protestants, who combine their religion with working-class Conservatism, that in the last decade Catholics have become less reliable in their opposition to Communism — the same kind of fear recently exnressed in Rome itself by the Ukrainian Cardinal Slipyj. Suspicion of the ecumenical movement does not spring from traditional anti-Romanism alone. Perhaps there is a distant hope of reconciliation in the fact that splits among Republican extremists have revolved round the Communism issue. Many Irish Americans are highly suspicious of international socialist influence.
Geoff A. Short 5 Scarsdale Road, Manchester
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