Taoiseach’s position is as clear as mud

THE Irish Republic’s Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar (News, December 9), in vying with Sinn Fein as protector of those whom he calls the “nationalist people” in Northern Ireland (presumably holders of Irish-issued passports), ignores the fact that it is the ‘rights’ of all holders of EU passports (irrespective of the issuing authority) that are protected under the recent agreement — if Brexit should come about.

Similarly, holders of UK passports living in a post-Brexit EU will have their rights respected.

What more is there? No one is thinking of abolishing the Good Friday Agreement — even if only for the fact that the Republic dropped its claims and gave recognition to Northern Ireland.

Building bridges within and between these islands, as the Taoiseach would have it, is very welcome.

Whether the Taoiseach is vying with Sinn Fein or not, when he adds that, “(we) do not want to see a border in the Irish Sea”, it is not so clear.

Although Sinn Fein was for long anti-EU (seeing in the EU a dilution of Irish sovereignty), it is now seemingly ardently pro-EU, without the matter ever having been publicly debated among its members.

Whether this means that Sinn Fein is in line with Leo Varadkar is, therefore, a bit cloudy.

WA MILLER Belfast