Doug Simpson says Sinn Féin must now take their seats in Westminster; Roger Barham says any DUP power in parliament is contrary to the spirit of power-sharing of the Northern Ireland peace process; and Joe McCarthy says Theresa May is a lame duck who must surely stand down

The outcome of this astonishing general election is particularly striking in Northern Ireland, where the unionist-nationalist divide has been reinforced. It is already clear that the DUP will play a crucial role in the new parliament, supporting a minority Tory government and pushing for a hard Brexit. Sinn Féin even before the election were talking about the need to protect the soft border and minimise the impact of Brexit on the province. This task is now supremely important, but can only be managed if Sinn Féin cooperate with others in the UK parliament and so they must take their seats. Abstention has made little sense since the Good Friday agreement, when Sinn Féin accepted the de facto position that Northern Ireland is part of the UK until its people decide otherwise. In this new situation it severely disadvantages the people of Northern Ireland and makes no sense at all.

Doug Simpson

Todmorden, West Yorkshire

• I should like to draw attention to the possible effect on the government of Northern Ireland arising from any alliance between the Conservative party and the DUP. The Northern Ireland assembly is currently in suspension because the two major Stormont parties, DUP and Sinn Féin, are unable to reach a power-sharing agreement. If, as seems probable, this remains the case, the administration of the province’s domestic affairs will be undertaken via direct rule from Westminster.

Direct rule by a non-partisan British government is one thing; rule by an administration heavily influenced by the DUP is quite another and would seem contrary to the spirit of power-sharing embodied in the Northern Ireland peace process. I should like to ask what provision might be put in place to safeguard the rights and interests of the nationalist community in Northern Ireland should a Conservative-DUP alliance emerge.

Roger Barham

York

• I almost feel sorry for Theresa May. In her desperation to cling to power she announced on the steps of No 10 that she intends to lead a government “over the next five years” with “our friends and allies” the DUP. Who is she kidding? A coalition of the Tories and the DUP, while having the required number of seats to form a government, clearly lacks democratic legitimacy. That matters. The British people voted for a left-leaning anti-austerity agenda and won’t accept a rightwing hard-Brexit future. Theresa May also says that her new government will “provide certainty”, but the longer she hangs on as PM the opposite will be the case. We will have constant speculation about when she’ll go, or be pushed, and who’ll replace her. Mrs May is a lame duck as Tory leader and PM. In politics, especially, you have to know when to leave the stage. At least her predecessor David Cameron understood that, and before him, eventually, so did even Gordon Brown.

Joe McCarthy

Dublin

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