Sir, – For all the reasons outlined by Oleksandr Yurov (Letters, March 3rd) no rational individual could agree with Sinn Féin’s stance on Ukraine. The failure of their two MEPs to support the €90 billion EU loan package for Ukraine puts Sinn Féin in the same camp as Robert Fico and Viktor Orban, prime ministers of Slovakia and Hungary respectively, both admirers of the autocratic Putin.
Memories of besieged Northern nationalists fleeing South for refuge during the Troubles of the late 1960s are still vivid. Sinn Féin chooses to ignore this when calling for reduced supports here for Ukrainians fleeing violence and oppression on a vastly greater scale and duration than that which nationalists suffered in 1969.
Moreover, to compare Sinn Féin’s legitimate position on the slaughter in Gaza with their more muted approach to Russian destruction of Ukraine is to exposé Sinn Féin’s lack of consistency in their foreign policy.
If Sinn Féin wishes to present itself as part of an alternative government at some future election it needs to develop grown up, logical and consistent positions on foreign policy. Adopting a-la-carte approaches depending on which despot leader is more or less to their liking will hardly broaden their electoral appeal in the currently highly splintered party political system. – Yours, etc,
PJ MCDERMOTT,
Westport,
Co Mayo