Letter: Leo Varadkar did not contradict the fact that Northern Ireland is part of the UK

Re the story: ‘DUP tells Leo Varadkar that Good Friday Agreement clearly says UK is still sovereign over Northern Ireland,’ September 12.

​The report read: “The Good Friday Agreement clearly states that the governance and sovereignty of Northern Ireland are entirely matters for the UK Government, the Irish government has been reminded.”

But Leo did not contradict the fact that the Northern Ireland is part of the UK. He merely stated a desire for Irish unity, a perfectly legitimate aspiration as per the GFA. If unionism and Britain can extol the virtues of the Union with Britain, then nationalism and the Irish government had the same perfectly legitimate right to extol the virtues of a union with Ireland.

As a co guarantor of the Good Friday Agreement, the Irish government carries the same responsibility as the UK government to ensure that the Good Friday Agreement is maintained. The final destination of Northern Ireland is not decided by Britain or the UK government, it will be decided solely by the people of Northern Ireland, no one else.

Let the pros and cons of both arguments be heard, no lies or half truths, (as with Brexit) and let the people decide. If the case for the Union is strong, there is nothing to fear. If the case for a Union with Ireland wins, then so be it, that's democracy. Both are perfectly legitimate aspirations and can be promoted by their various advocates.

Mary Russell, Balregan, Dundalk