The same ingredients in your political repast could achieve more interesting outcome

Sam McBride (‘As direct rule creeps closer, SF lack of even cursory criticism is telling,’ March 2) assembles a number of political ingredients into a great Saturday repast, but those same ingredients arguably make for more interesting fare.

By The Newsroom

Published 5th Mar 2019, 13:27 BST

Allow me to do so, in brief measure:

Proposal (by Sinn Féin and SDLP): to use the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference (BIIGC) to replace Stormont.

Problem (defined by Sam): the Belfast Agreement precludes the BIIGC from dealing with devolved matters.

Solution (as observed by Sam): for the British government to incrementally take back control of devolved matters (and now, the missing ingredient) so the BIIGC can replace Stormont.

Conclusion: the missing ingredient in Sam’s article is the stealthy gradual return of devolved powers from Stormont to Westminster, which will facilitate the BIIGC taking control of Northern Irish affairs, don’t you think?

The lads in Malaya had a saying; “softly, softy catchee monkey” – even 500lb (unionist) gorillas/guerrillas.

Dr Bernard Mulholland, Belfast BT9

SDLP