<div dir="ltr"><h1 class="gmail-article-header__title" style="box-sizing:border-box;font-size:4.6rem;margin:1rem 0px 2rem;padding:4px 0px;font-family:"Source Serif Pro",serif;line-height:1;letter-spacing:-0.025em">The two PMs ought to ignore open letter on the Irish language</h1><div class="gmail-article-header__image-gallery-container" style="box-sizing:border-box"><img class="gmail-article-header__lead-image gmail-cld-responsive" alt="News Letter editorial" src="https://images-o.jpimedia.uk/imagefetch/w_700,f_auto,ar_3:2,q_auto:low,c_fill/if_h_lte_200,c_mfit,h_201/https://www.newsletter.co.uk/webimage/1.5237807.1559002682!/image/image.jpg" title="News Letter editorial" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-style: none; max-width: 100%; font-style: italic; vertical-align: middle; display: block; height: auto; width: 650px; min-width: 0px; margin: 0px auto;"></div><div id="gmail-adSlotInImage" class="gmail-ad-gpt gmail-adGPTTag gmail-adTagAsync" style="box-sizing:border-box;width:650px;margin:0px auto;text-align:center;height:0px"></div>News Letter editorial<div class="gmail-article__meta gmail-u-clearfix" style="box-sizing:border-box;zoom:1;border-bottom:1px solid rgb(57,57,57);margin-bottom:30px;display:flex;padding-bottom:15px"><div class="gmail-article-meta__timestamp gmail-article-meta__timestamp--same-day" style="box-sizing:border-box"><span class="gmail-article-meta__timestamp-label" style="box-sizing:border-box;color:gray">Published:</span> <span class="gmail-article-meta__timestamp-time" style="box-sizing:border-box">17:09</span><span class="gmail-article-meta__timestamp-date" style="box-sizing:border-box;display:block">Thursday 30 May 2019</span></div><div class="gmail-article-sharetool gmail-article-sharetool--small" style="box-sizing:border-box;width:auto;height:auto;float:right"><div class="gmail-article-sharetool__title" style="box-sizing:border-box;font-size:1.6rem;font-family:"Open Sans",sans-serif;font-weight:700;line-height:1;margin-bottom:10px">Share this article</div><ul id="gmail-shareTool" class="gmail-article-sharetool__list" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;display:table;list-style:none;width:135px"><li class="gmail-article-sharetool__item" style="box-sizing:border-box;display:block;width:auto;height:auto;vertical-align:top;float:left"><a title="Share on Facebook" class="gmail-article-sharetool__facebook" id="gmail-sharetool_facebook" href="https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.newsletter.co.uk%2Fnews%2Fopinion%2Fthe-two-pms-ought-to-ignore-open-letter-on-the-irish-language-1-8946571" target="_blank" style="box-sizing:border-box;background-color:transparent;color:rgb(21,135,143);text-decoration-line:none;font-size:1.6rem;display:block;float:left;height:45px;width:45px"><span class="gmail-article-sharetool__icon" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin-right:6px;height:45px;width:45px;display:block"></span></a></li><li class="gmail-article-sharetool__item" style="box-sizing:border-box;display:block;width:auto;height:auto;vertical-align:top;float:left"><a title="Share on Twitter" class="gmail-article-sharetool__twitter" id="gmail-sharetool_twitter" href="https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=The+two+PMs+ought+to+ignore+open+letter+on+the+Irish+language&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.newsletter.co.uk%2Fnews%2Fopinion%2Fthe-two-pms-ought-to-ignore-open-letter-on-the-irish-language-1-8946571" target="_blank" style="box-sizing:border-box;background-color:transparent;color:rgb(21,135,143);text-decoration-line:none;font-size:1.6rem;display:block;float:left;height:45px;width:45px"><span class="gmail-article-sharetool__icon" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin-right:6px;height:45px;width:45px;display:block"></span></a></li><li class="gmail-article-sharetool__item" style="box-sizing:border-box;display:block;width:auto;height:auto;vertical-align:top;float:left"><a title="Share via email" class="gmail-article-sharetool__email" id="gmail-sharetool_email" href="mailto:?subject=The%20two%20PMs%20ought%20to%20ignore%20open%20letter%20on%20the%20Irish%20language&body=https://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/opinion/the-two-pms-ought-to-ignore-open-letter-on-the-irish-language-1-8946571" style="box-sizing:border-box;background-color:transparent;color:rgb(21,135,143);text-decoration-line:none;font-size:1.6rem;display:block;float:left;height:40px;width:40px"><span class="gmail-article-sharetool__icon" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin-right:6px;height:40px;width:40px;display:block"></span></a></li></ul></div></div><div class="gmail-newsletter-widget" style="box-sizing:border-box;font-family:open-sans,"Open Sans";font-size:18px;line-height:40px;font-weight:600;clear:both;margin:40px 0px"><div class="gmail-newsletter-heading" style="box-sizing:border-box;background:rgb(40,44,113);color:rgb(255,255,255);padding-left:20px;padding-right:20px">Sign Up To Our Daily Newsletter</div><div class="gmail-newsletter-content gmail-u-clearfix" style="box-sizing:border-box;zoom:1;background:rgb(238,238,236);padding:20px"><form class="gmail-newsletter-form gmail-u-clearfix gmail-ng-pristine gmail-ng-valid" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;zoom:1"><input class="gmail-newsletter-input" type="email" name="newsletter-email" style="box-sizing:border-box;font:inherit;margin-right:10px;overflow:visible;color:rgb(189,189,189);width:366px;float:left;height:36px;padding:0px 20px;border-width:1px;border-style:solid;border-color:rgb(189,189,189)"><button class="gmail-newsletter-submit" type="submit" style="font-family:sans-serif;font-size:18px;line-height:1.15;margin:0px;overflow:visible;background:rgb(40,44,113);color:rgb(255,255,255);float:left;border-width:initial;border-style:none;border-color:initial;height:36px">Sign up</button></form></div></div><span class="gmail-ng-isolate-scope" style="box-sizing:border-box"></span><div class="gmail-p402_premium" style="box-sizing:border-box"><h3 class="gmail-article-content__lead" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:inherit"><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 1.5em;padding:0px;letter-spacing:-0.003em">It is becoming a feature of politics in Northern Ireland that every so often a group of republicans and nationalists, occasionally with support from a few people who would not designate themselves as such, write an open letter about the alleged denial of their rights.</p></h3><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 1.5em;padding:0px;letter-spacing:-0.003em">This time, the letter has been sent to Theresa May and Leo Varadkar. Their two governments ought to ignore such a tactic, for the simple reason that such letters cannot be the basis on which political policy is developed.</p><div class="gmail-p402_hide" style="box-sizing:border-box"><div id="gmail-adSlotTead" class="gmail-ad-gpt gmail-adGPTTag gmail-adTagAsync" style="box-sizing:border-box;width:650px;margin:0px;text-align:center;padding:0px;height:1px"></div></div><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 1.5em;padding:0px;letter-spacing:-0.003em">After all, nationalism would not tolerate it for five minutes if relentless pressure and open letters from unionists were to influence policy in favour of unionism in any respect.</p><div class="gmail-p402_hide" style="box-sizing:border-box"><div id="gmail-adSlotArticleBody1_MobileOnly" class="gmail-ad-gpt gmail-adGPTTag gmail-adTagAsync" style="box-sizing:border-box;width:650px;margin:0px auto 20px;text-align:center"></div></div><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 1.5em;padding:0px;letter-spacing:-0.003em">But there are no such letters from unionism, apart from a letter from ‘civic unionism,’ in response to a previous complaint about denial of rights, that was so mild and placatory in tone it was hard to see what the civic unionists were saying.</p><div class="gmail-p402_hide" style="box-sizing:border-box"></div><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 1.5em;padding:0px;letter-spacing:-0.003em">Despite that shortcoming in the ‘civic unionist’ response, they were right to try to put forward a counter point of view, because in Northern Ireland those who shout the loudest are tending to prevail. Not at first of course, but they succeed in making their demand the baseline for negotiations.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 1.5em;padding:0px;letter-spacing:-0.003em">This has been the defining feature of legacy, in which the great bulk of victims of the Troubles, relatives and survivors of the 2,100 people murdered by republican terrorists, have been silent and dignified but are now losing out in investigations due to republicans pushing a focus on state killings.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 1.5em;padding:0px;letter-spacing:-0.003em">Most of all, it is apparent with regard to the Irish language.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 1.5em;padding:0px;letter-spacing:-0.003em">The language is only spoken to an advanced level by around 1% of the Northern Ireland population, yet it is, rightly, generously funded as a key part of a heritage that has a special place in the affections of one section of the community.</p><div class="gmail-p402_hide" style="box-sizing:border-box"><div id="gmail-adSlotArticleBody1_DesktopOnly" class="gmail-ad-gpt gmail-adGPTTag gmail-adTagAsync" style="box-sizing:border-box;width:650px;margin:0px auto 20px;text-align:center"></div></div><div class="gmail-p402_hide" style="box-sizing:border-box"><div id="gmail-adSlotArticleBody2_MobileOnly" class="gmail-ad-gpt gmail-adGPTTag gmail-adTagAsync" style="box-sizing:border-box;width:650px;margin:0px auto 20px;text-align:center"></div></div><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 1.5em;padding:0px;letter-spacing:-0.003em">But republicans want more, beginning with an act that will be used to change the very feel of NI. A weak UK government has let Sinn Fein collapse Stormont in pursuit of this aim. And Simon Coveney, on behalf of Dublin, merely agrees with SF that we all must have this act.</p><div class="gmail-p402_hide" style="box-sizing:border-box"><div id="gmail-adSlotArticleBody3_MobileOnly" class="gmail-ad-gpt gmail-adGPTTag gmail-adTagAsync" style="box-sizing:border-box;width:650px;margin:0px auto 20px;text-align:center"></div></div><div class="gmail-p402_hide" style="box-sizing:border-box"><div class="gmail-p402_hide" style="box-sizing:border-box"><div class="gmail-article-suggested-group__item-previous" style="box-sizing:border-box;width:325px;padding-right:15px;float:left;margin-bottom:0px"><div class="gmail-article-suggested-teaser__image-container" style="box-sizing:border-box;overflow:hidden;height:68px;width:100px;float:left"><img src="https://images-o.jpimedia.uk/imagefetch/w_200,f_auto,ar_3:2,q_auto:low,c_fill/if_h_lte_200,c_mfit,h_201/https://www.newsletter.co.uk/webimage/1.8946677.1559237805!/image/image.jpg" class="gmail-article-suggested-teaser__image gmail-cld-responsive" alt="The letter-writer said there are no SF complaints about the lack of unionist representation in West Belfast, Gerry Adams' former constituency, which has not had a unionist MLA at all since 2007" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-style: none; max-width: 100%; font-style: italic; vertical-align: middle; transform: rotate(0deg); width: 100px; height: 68px; overflow: hidden; object-fit: cover; top: 0px; left: 0px;"></div><div class="gmail-article-suggested-teaser__text-container" style="box-sizing:border-box;background-color:rgb(244,244,244);height:68px;padding:12px 8px;margin-left:140px"><h3 style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:2rem"><a href="https://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/opinion/does-sinn-fein-care-about-the-fact-parts-of-ni-are-unionist-free-1-8946678" class="gmail-article-suggested-teaser__heading gmail-is-truncated" style="box-sizing:border-box;background-color:transparent;color:rgb(40,44,113);text-decoration-line:none;font-size:1.6rem;line-height:1.3;overflow:hidden;max-height:44px;margin:0px">Does Sinn Fein care about the fact...</a></h3></div><span class="gmail-article-suggested-teaser__nav-flag gmail-background-primary" style="box-sizing:border-box;background-color:rgb(40,44,113);height:68px;width:40px;color:rgb(255,255,255)"></span><a href="https://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/opinion/does-sinn-fein-care-about-the-fact-parts-of-ni-are-unionist-free-1-8946678" class="gmail-article-suggested-teaser__link-primary" style="box-sizing:border-box;background-color:transparent;color:rgb(40,44,113);text-decoration-line:none;font-size:1.6rem"></a></div><div class="gmail-article-suggested-group__item-next" style="box-sizing:border-box;width:325px;padding-bottom:0px;float:right;padding-left:15px"><div class="gmail-article-suggested-teaser__image-container" style="box-sizing:border-box;overflow:hidden;height:68px;width:100px;float:right;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:18.4px;letter-spacing:-0.0552px"><img src="https://images-o.jpimedia.uk/imagefetch/w_200,f_auto,ar_3:2,q_auto:low,c_fill/if_h_lte_200,c_mfit,h_201/https://www.newsletter.co.uk/webimage/1.7083089.1559251430!/image/image.jpg" class="gmail-article-suggested-teaser__image gmail-cld-responsive" alt="Letter to the editor" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-style: none; max-width: 100%; font-style: italic; vertical-align: middle; transform: rotate(0deg); width: 100px; height: 68px; overflow: hidden; object-fit: cover; top: 0px; left: 0px;"></div><div class="gmail-article-suggested-teaser__text-container" style="box-sizing:border-box;background-color:rgb(244,244,244);height:68px;padding:12px 8px;margin-right:140px;font-size:18.4px;letter-spacing:-0.0552px"><h3 style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:2rem"><a href="https://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/opinion/prayer-initiative-is-spreading-across-christendom-1-8945327" class="gmail-article-suggested-teaser__heading gmail-is-truncated" style="box-sizing:border-box;background-color:transparent;color:rgb(40,44,113);text-decoration-line:none;font-size:1.6rem;line-height:1.3;overflow:hidden;max-height:44px;margin:0px">Prayer initiative is spreading across...</a></h3></div><span class="gmail-article-suggested-teaser__nav-flag gmail-background-primary" style="box-sizing:border-box;background-color:rgb(40,44,113);height:68px;width:40px;color:rgb(255,255,255);font-size:18.4px;letter-spacing:-0.0552px"></span><br class="gmail-Apple-interchange-newline"></div></div></div></div><div><br></div>-- <br><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature">=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+<br><br> Harold F. Schiffman<br><br>Professor Emeritus of <br> Dravidian Linguistics and Culture <br>Dept. of South Asia Studies                     <br>University of Pennsylvania<br>Philadelphia, PA 19104-6305<br><br>Phone:  (215) 898-7475<br>Fax:  (215) 573-2138                                      <br><br>Email:  <a href="mailto:haroldfs@gmail.com" target="_blank">haroldfs@gmail.com</a><br><a href="http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~haroldfs/" target="_blank">http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~haroldfs/</a>    <br><br>-------------------------------------------------</div></div>