I thought Andrew J Shaw had given up on trying to defend the indefensible, obviously not re his outburst (February 5).

The Palestinians are attacking Israeli Jews is pure hogwash. There are few, if any Israeli Jews living in illegal settlements in West bank (Palestine). They come from France, US, Britain, Russia, Ukraine etc never having lived in Israel.

For Andrew’s information Palestine does exist, just visit Belfast city hall and you will find reference to medals and honours awarded to British soldiers for their heroics in Palestine.

Just in case Andrew went to a school that did not teach history, the Palestinians did not just wake up one morning and decide to hate the Jews. No. That British bug bear comes into play – force and terror. The British ethnically cleansed Palestine of its legal citizens (in living memory). The Palestinians still have the keys to their former homes and legal deeds to their former lands which were stolen by the British and given to strangers from afar.

As they did in Ireland the British partitioned Palestine and if that had been respected by the foreign Jews, like in Ireland, there would be a kind of peaceful co-existence, but in the Jews case they wanted more.

Instead of thanking the British they turned on them and threw them out of their midst. They wanted it all. Hence they forcibly crossed an internationally recognised border (I know Andrew refuses to recognise this border). The Jews then demolished Palestinian homes and build illegal settlements.

To help Andrew understand the plight of the Palestinians who, as a result of British and Zionist violence, they are today stateless – locked in an open-air prison, no escape by land, sea or air. In most other conflicts those attacked have the choice to flee. The Palestinians cannot flee – hence it is fight or die.

I pose this scenario to Andrew. Imagine the Dublin government crossed over the border, entered Musgrave Park and commenced to build settlements and businesses, all protected by the Garda and the Irish army. Then after a few years when your beloved park is full of foreign Catholics, who, when elections in Dublin are called, they bring up polling booths and when voting is over return to Dublin and include all Musgrave Park residents’ votes in the Dail parliament.

They then take over your property and decide to demolish your garden sheds etc and build more settlements and inform you that under no circumstance can you or your family leave Belfast BT10 and that they alone will decide what you eat or drink. What do you think the reaction would be? Do you think you would be in the mood for compromise or negotiations?

PETER McEVOY

Banbridge, Co Down

Newton is welcoming false dawn for unionism

Newton Emerson’s article ‘Perked up’ unionism is simply evolution (February 11) is a sort of follow-on of Fionnuala O’Connor where she has a view that ‘state nationalism’ is confronted by ‘perked up’ unionism. Newton is really taken by this notion. He uses Jamie Bryson, who I believe in ‘co-working’ with Willie Frazer, as an example of this perking up in unionism. Newton calls this ‘evolution’.

To offer a decontruction of both these opinion writers may I offer an alternative ‘narrative’ (an ‘in’ word nowadays). The republican movement as The Irish News faithfully reported has in the face of ferocious opposition from unionists and some non unionists taken risks, big risks from the signing up to the Good Friday Agreement, the ceasefire, the attendance at what were British only affairs. It has stated that their goal of a Republic of Ireland will be achieved through democratic means. The outreach to difference has been continuous.

Newton is correct that unionists want to be British nationalists. Mainstream republicans are not arguing. The evolving unionists, and I’m pretty sure about this, have not got to the stage where they accept the integrity of the republican argument.

Could be that Mr Emerson is welcoming a false down and Ms O’Connor welcoming a false sunset.

MANUS McDAID

Derry City

We love them yet, we can’t forget, the Felons of our land

Any observer, with an eye not yet trained to the spectacle being played out as politics here, could be easily forgiven if they found themselves bemused if not slightly amused by the two protests for political prisoners on the Andersonstown Road on January 9.

Outside the Irish Republican Felons Club, dozens of Sinn Féin supporters gathered to lend their support to the worthiest of causes, and in doing so, highlight the plight – call for the release and in many cases outline the serious need for repatriation of the Basque political prisoners.

However, while Sinn Féin took up their position of solidarity designed to coincide with the mass protest in Basque region of Bilbao, supporters of Irish Republican Prisoners (a cause which produced the embryo that gave birth to the Felons) quite bizarrely held their protest on the road beside a now disused barracks.

The irony of what took place outside the Felons Club would not have been lost on many republican Felons.

It most certainly would not have been lost on the founders, many of who attended the first pre-inaugural meeting which was held in my grandmother’s home in Cupar Street.

While people such as my father, a founding member of the Felons Club, empathised with and supported the Basque struggle right up to his death. He would argue and quite justifiably so, that the principles that underpinned the Irish Republican Felon’s constitution, were derived primarily with the welfare of Irish Republican Felons, past and present in mind.

Therefore, those who ferried themselves and their posters in and out of the Felons Club that day do not have the jurisdiction to redefine a constitution that was not of

their making.

They most certainly do not have the right to reframe or reconstruct the definition of an Irish republican prisoner, nor can they seriously present themselves as being the natural benefactors of a club – tradition set up to bear the Felons name.

NUALA PERRY

Belfast BT13

‘Joined-up’ health care service needed

On January 26 my 92-year-old mother was discharged from the Ulster Hospital. This followed a two-week stay there after surgery for a broken hip, carried out by skilful surgeons and theatre staff to whom we are most grateful. But why must she leave an overly warm ward into the cold January air without her on-going medication, dressing gown, headgear or anything else you would wrap your own granny up in, at this time of year? Why must she wait on a trolley in the back of an ambulance with the back doors wide open while staff load and attend to a second patient being transported from nearby A&E in the same vehicle?

Well guess what discharge staff? Mum developed a chest infection there and then. One that required a GP visit and a course of antibiotics. What if these don’t work? Who will take responsibility and stand up to say: “Oh yes I should have thought of that?” What is the point in fixing one medical issue and then creating another one through downright carelessness and absence of basic care needs, best practice and logistics?

Maybe staff should look at all patients as their ‘own granny’, mother, husband or sibling and say: “How differently would I treat you ‘Granny Patient’ if you were my own granny?

It’s time we said stop and demanded a ‘joined-up’ health care service that is fully resourced and makes sense. This one obviously isn’t.

GERRY MacBRIDE

Newtownards, Co Down