I would not have backed the Good Friday Agreement if I had known of side deals such as the de facto amnesty for Provos only

In reply to letter by Arnold Carton on Thursday (‘No Stormont means direct rule under a PM who betrays unionists,’ April 7, see link below).

He writes that a sense of optimism in June 1998 was destroyed by the Drumcree protests, which ended in the three Quinn murders.

The Drumcree events were not brought about by the Orange Order but by Sinn Fein, as Gerry Adams has since boasted.

People forget that the violence of the first two years was by republicans bused in for the purpose. Unfortunately this lead to the authorities giving in to their demands, something which is still the case at Drumcree today.

I don’t believe that Drumcree is linked to the tragedy of the Quinn children — if it was then republicans should take the blame.

I’m a member of the Orange Order and I voted for the Good Friday Agreement (GFA) because I accepted the assurances given to David Trimble by London, Dublin and SDLP, assurances which proved to be worthless. How many unionists would’ve voted for the GFA if they had known of the secret deals made between London, Dublin and SF which gave a de facto amnesty to the Provos only (the biggest killers of the Troubles)?

Ever since the GFA was signed all that SF have needed to say, to get their endless demands met, is to say that the GFA is in danger (ie the Provos will be back). Every time this has lead London, Dublin, Brussels and Washington giving in to them.

The GFA has been a process of appeasement to SF.

Ian Johnston, Antrim

No Stormont means direct rule under a PM who betrays unionists