1 FEBRUARY 1992, Page 25

Somebody cares

Sir: Mathew Parris, (Politics, 25 January) unwittingly highlighted an essential factor in the failure of policy towards Northern Ireland when he said: 'In seven years as a government backbencher I do not think I encountered more than a handful of MPs on either side who cared much what hap- pened to Ulster.'

His call for disengagement exhibits the same disregard. If MPs cared about Ulster they would have listened to Enoch Powell a long time ago. It is not too late. Mr Powell's call for 'genuine government, under the United Kingdom Parliament', ('Slam the door, enforce the union', 25 January) is the one policy which has not been tried. MPs should now make amends for those years of neglect and treat Northern Ireland like any other part of the United Kingdom.

David M. Evans

Westgate, Ealing, London W5