Should Sinn Fein come in from cold?

Sir — Our Republic appears to have reached a crossroads with Sinn Fein, in deciding whether or not they are fit for government.

It should be remembered why they are running in democratic elections. The whole idea of the peace process was to bring Sinn Fein in from the cold and freeze out their military wing, the IRA.

What is happening is that the whole idea seems to have altered from that, to a situation where they are being made accountable for or being put on trial for every atrocity the IRA committed.

So what does bringing them in from the cold really mean? Surely Sinn Fein has a right to know how far they are going to be brought in from the cold — or if they are really being brought in at all?

Are they wasting their time going in elections in the Republic — because no other party wants them in government, even though the establishment wanted to bring them in from the cold?

These are big questions. There is no getting away from this by attempting to warm them up while at the same saying: “You will never be one of us and how can a party go into government with you given your past and association with the IRA.”

How can Sinn Fein and the republican movement come in from the cold and deal with slating over alleged paramilitary activity at the same time?

Our Republic is not as flexible as Northern Ireland regarding Sinn Fein. If the whole idea of bringing Sinn Fein in from the cold is to put them on trial for wrongs done in the past, then nothing has really changed. And it would seem bringing them in from the cold is nothing but a ruse to get them to own up.

If this is the case, then Sinn Fein will always be a party of opposition and protest and never a party for government in the republic — unlike Northern Ireland where Sinn Fein are part of the executive, warts and all.

In short, how far does our Republic want to go with bringing them in from the cold? Not very far it seems, and if they do manage to get into government, the Republic’s parties will have to cross the same rubicon as the DUP did in Northern Ireland.

Maurice Fitzgerald, Shanbally, County Cork