Sir, – Fintan O’Toole is undoubtedly correct in his assessment of Ireland as a Ferrari in a boreen, but his evidence as to the cause is only partial (“Is Ireland a developed country at all?”, Opinion & Analysis, July 16th).
His suggestion that the historically major parties’ policies have not a fag paper to divide them, as my father used to say, ignores the cause of this malaise.
This is an outcome which the electoral system has brought about. Because the system militates against the creation of strong majority governments, the two parties compete not on policy but on electoral bribes and a desire to do down their near-identical twin.
This in turn promotes pork-barrel governance rather than far-sighted strategic planning.
If a new Dáil candidate has to curry favour with every loopy and often tiny political faction in the hope of gaining a few possibly crucial third, fourth or even fifth preference vote, then the numbers of extreme and personality candidates who are elected will serve to promote personal or factional interests over those of the nation.
If we cannot solve this issue then we risk being regarded as politically, economically and socially backward and quite possibly of no interest nor benefit to the EU, with all that may entail. – Yours, etc,
JIM CORBETT,
Montenotte,
Cork.