Sir, –Based on the results of the voting, Fine Gael and Fine Fail won the election.
Both parties have a lot in common, and naively you would think that this should give them a solid platform for agreeing policy. Unfortunately, it is similarity, not familiarity, that breeds contempt.
Their close ideological affinity serves only to strengthen their political differences. It’s a month after the election, and as pretty much everyone predicted, we still have no government.
In her column commenting on business and management, Lucy Kellaway ("Why you should love your miserable boss", March 28th) makes a convincing case that predictability is a valuable characteristic in a boss. Ironically, the predictability of our politicians is leaving us with no boss at all. – Yours, etc,
COLIN WALSH,
Templeogue, Dublin 6W.
Sir, – Fiach Kelly's front-page piece is certainly timely ("Kenny urges politicians to follow example of 1916 rebels", March 26th). He notes the Taoiseach quoted the great patriot Michael Davitt, who said: "If Ireland is to reach its port of success it would not be by the wind of words but by the power of national policy".
I have never heard an Irish government announce a policy for the betterment of Irish society. Government programmes are always limited to fixing broken elements of our economy – necessary housekeeping, as it were. We now have an opportunity to agree our goal for a richer, more caring, and more thoughtful society. Without such a vision, no wind will be favourable. – Your, etc,
AIDAN DEVON,
Glenageary,
Co Dublin.
Sir, – Fine Gael thought they were the Tories. They weren’t. Fianna Fáil thought they were forgiven. Not quite. Sinn Féin thought their leader would be taoiseach. He won’t. AAA-PBP thought there’d be anarchy on the streets, but that was just a rush to an open till at Lidl. And the Independents all sang separate hymns, making a less than beautiful noise, with the Healy-Raes singing from the same sheet. I can think of only one solution to this mess– another election. – Yours, etc,
BRIAN AHERN,
Clonsilla, Dublin 15.
Sir, – Brian Cullen (March 26th) proposes the stick approach to oblige TDs to form a government within two months – a general election and their exclusion from re-election. I suggest the carrot of making the formation of a government the start date for their Dáil salaries and allowances. Payment by results, or "no foal, no fee", has a proven record of achieving speedy and effective results. It also weeds out underperformers. – Yours, etc,
MICHAEL ANDERSON,
Balgriffin, Dublin 13.