North Down
Sir: Like others who seek to justify the Conservative Party's failure to organise in Northern Ireland Peter Morrison, the Par- ty Deputy Chairman (Letters, 26 Novem- ber), chooses to ignore the most fun- damental arguments — presumably be- cause he realises they are unanswerable.
First, the people of Northern Ireland, uniquely in the western world (unless we include South Africa), are denied the right to vote for any political party that will form their government. And second, govern- ment of Northern Ireland is, at present, totally without electoral mandate as it is understood in the context of United King- dom politics.
Mr Morrison, as Chairman of the One Nation Forum, a pressure group concerned with encouraging the participation of ethnic minorities in the affairs of the Conservative Party, should, of all people, appreciate the sense of exclusion felt by the native population in Northern Ireland. If his party can absorb within its ranks those with a 'history and culture' originating in areas as diverse as the West Indies, the Indian sub-continent and the Antipodes, does he really believe there's no room for the United Kingdom citizens of Northern Ireland, who are not the political unsoph- isticates and reactionaries he implies?
As to what way people vote in Northern Ireland once the Conservative Party has declared its intention of seeking votes and winning seats there just as in the rest of the UK — that is a matter for speculation. I believe the Tories would do well, and certainly win a greater proportion of seats than they presently do in Scotland. Howev- er, I'm happy to leave the last word with Mrs Thatcher. As she remarked on her recent visit to Poland: 'People have to be involved in decisions. If they have the freedom to choose, the chances are they will make the right choices.'
Laurence Kennedy
Chairman, North Down Conservative Association
Previous page
