THE PARTITION OF IRELAND
SIR,—In the article 'A Sign of Strength' in your issue of May 3, you urge that the Border 'is Britain's re- sponsibility, too,' and you suggest that the British Government 'should try at least to prepare the ground for a settlement of the Irish problem.' My organisation warmly welcomes these views.
You maintain, however, that while 'an obvious form of preparation' for action on the part of the British and Northern Ireland Governments to end partition would be `to arrange for negotiations with the Republic, the chances of this at present are small' because `Mr. de Valera . . . is not yet in the mood even to contemplate an acceptable compromise.'
This statement is not consistent with facts in so far as it implies that Mr. de Valera is not prepared to consider arrangements calculated to give all reason- able guarantees to the majority in the Six Counties. In an interview with international press representa- tives on March 8 last (to limit oneself to his most recent statement on this question) he said that 'we arc not looking for anything except a just solution'; and he recalled that he had in the past frequently proposed a solution which would give to 'the area in the Six Counties in which there is a local majority . . . a local parliament with all the powers they have at present,' the powers which the British Par- liament possesses at the moment in respect of the Six Counties being transferred to an all-Ireland Parlia- ment in which 'the Six Counties would be fully represented, proportionately to the population.' Mr. de Valera felt obliged to add, however—and this is particularly relevant to the point at issue—that 'there is no use making offers at all . . . if you are spurned every time you put out your hand.'—Yours faith-
fully,
T. FEEF1AN
Anti-Partition of Ireland League, 58 St. George's Drive, SW I
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