Having attended the recent Sinn Féin public meeting held to celebrate 10 years of the Good Friday Agreement, I felt responses from both Gerry Adams and the Cavan TD, Caoimhghin Ó Caoláin as to whether Gerry McHugh should give back a seat that belongs to 'Sinn Féin' were totally hypocritical.

There is no problem from Sinn Féin if candidates defect from parties such as Fianna Fail or SDLP to them, but how dare it happen the other way around? I suppose this would be democracy and freedom of choice gone to far? (The obvious deflection to answer a question posed by Councillor Pat Cox about Councillor Bernice Swift's suspension was noticeable, and it is a well-known fact that the same lady did not accept any high-handed probation being dished out to her)!

Sinn Féin did not offer people choice for recently co-opted Councillor in place of a female? Why not ask that question? Is it democratic? We have to ask the question, does the seat not really belong to 'the people'? Is it not the people who decide and cast their vote to elect their candidate of choice?

Has the trend of voting not changed whereby people choose representative individuals they want to deliver for them? If you don't obtain votes when standing for election, then the people don't want you, this is simple straight-forward democracy? This can be tested in future elections.

Also, the Cavan TD stated how riled he was when people casually break their pledge and resign their seats - should he not ask the real question as to why candidates are leaving their seats?, (he actually went on to say that it is happening throughout Ireland).

Perhaps it was the poor attendance at the meeting that really riled him.

His outburst proved that Sinn Féin who formerly 'pledged' their allegiance to the 1916 Proclamation and are now in Stormont upholding British rule in Ireland, having publicly celebrated the Good Friday Agreement with removal of Articles Two and Three of the Irish Constitution in recognising that Northern Ireland is a sovereign British statelet are really the ones guilty of breaking the ultimate pledge and have failed all of the people of Ireland equally.

Will Sinn Féin celebrate a Northern Ireland statelet in another 10 years' time when people will have water rates and probably still no decision on education?

Fermanagh Republican Voter

(name and address supplied)