Sir, – I was struck by two items in The Irish Times of February 11th. In Emma de Souza's opinion article, we are told that there are more than 600,000 people who have been born since the 1998 Belfast Agreement and 90 per cent of people aged 20 to 24 are on the electoral register ("Peace babies may deliver surprise in Northern Assembly election", Opinion & Analysis, February 11th).
The main thrust of the article indicates that there are optimistic signs many will not vote on traditional lines as they are more interested in “normal” politics.
In contrast, if we look at the picture of the anti-protocol meeting on page seven in the Dromore, Co Down, Orange Hall, we see over 90 per cent have grey hair and have, therefore, less years ahead of them than those mentioned in Ms de Souza’s piece.
Indeed many of my vintage would be familiar with the environment and trappings of such photos at political meetings in Orange halls over the past 60 years and perhaps further back.
The future surely lies with the former group, but politicians must also be cognisant of the latter cohort and arrive at the only solution – a sensible compromise rather than a zero-sum answer which divides society even further. – Yours, etc,
IAIN KENNEDY,
Enniskillen,
Co Fermanagh.