No defence

Kenny Macaskill claims (Perspective, 5 November) that Ireland

“will be seated at the top table” in the EU, as in top table in school, where the prefects sit with those who make the real decisions, like the Headmaster – or in the case of the EU, to which I think he is referring – the Headmistress, Angela Merkel.

We lent Ireland £3.25 billion in 2010 because they needed money. Unlike us, Ireland is in the EU and it was the EU who told Ireland (they didn’t ask) that their border with the UK was closed. No consultation, just an order. Top table? I think not.

Again, Ireland voted against the EU Lisbon Treaty in 2008 and were told to vote again and get the “right” decision next time. As commentator Brendan O’neill said: “EU officials [showed] their utter contempt for Irish voters, and for democracy itself. It is an historic sucker punch against the sovereignty of the people.”

Mr Macaskill comments that Ireland “sits on the (UN) Security Council” – but only for 2021-22. The UK is a permanent member and protects all of western Europe, Ireland included, with “weapons of mass destruction” to prevent other weapons of mass destruction which are aimed at us from being used.

These weapons have protected us from the Russian invasions in the last 65 years experienced by: Hungary; Czechoslovakia, Afghanistan; Georgia; the Ukraine. None of those nations were nuclear-armed and, as he will be well-aware, the UK has never threatened any country with our weapons as they are purely defensive. Clearly, he doesn’t want us to have any defence against nuclear powers, but why not?

ANDREW HN GRAY

Edinburgh