It is ironic to hear the German politician Ms Von der Leyen praise Ireland

In her recent address to the Irish Republic’s parliament, the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, claimed that “all other Europeans look up to Ireland because you show Europe’s best face” (December 2).

The irony of a German president of a pan-European political bloc awarding ‘best in class’ status to the Republic of Ireland, won’t be lost on those who view the Irish state with disdain for remaining ‘neutral’ during WW2 while Nazis Germany invaded and occupied much of Europe and murdered six million European Jews.

And let’s not mention the fact that on May 2 1945 the then Irish prime minister, Eamon de Valera, signed a book of condolences opened on  the death of Adolf Hitler. Nor should we mention the fact that the IRA collaborated with the Nazis.

Such inconvenient truths don’t fit with current efforts to woo unionists into a ‘new Ireland wonderland’ (or should that be ‘wunderland’?).

The citizens of the EU, and other European countries, owe their liberty and freedom to the gallant men and women of the UK and other allied forces who sacrificed all to defeat Nazi Germany. 

Next time President von der Leyen’s seeking to showcase models of European citizenship, she should recognise the debt owed to those UK citizens who made the ultimate sacrifice.

Thomas Smyth, Belfast BT4