United or divided: what is the future of Ireland? | Letter

Guardian readers respond to Colm Toibin's essay on the island's political future

Colm Toibin's comparison of Sinn Fein, a pro-EU, pro-immigration, centre-left party, to Ukip, an anti-EU, anti-immigration, rightwing party, is decidedly muddled, like much of his article (Colm Toibin: will the Brexit fallout lead to a united Ireland'?, 2 October). That apocalyptic anti-republican mindset (the idea that Sinn Fein in 2021 is a spectre" and a tide") is widespread among older members of the Irish upper middle-class, who are often unable to rid themselves of decades of anti-republican prejudice.

This was fostered by previous Irish governments that, courtesy of section 31 of the 1960 Broadcasting Authority Act, enthusiastically operated the most draconian anti-republican censorship in western Europe.