Madam, - I invariably vote for, and transfer to, ABFF (Anyone but Fianna Fáil), which in practice is a combination of Fine Gael, Labour, the Greens and the PDs (the latter only in general elections in order to lessen FF's chances of an overall majority).
However, as regards the mainstream parties, the idea that Fine Gael "won" the recent elections is laughable. The results were solely a yardstick of people's (temporary) revulsion for Fianna Fáil, and since nature abhors a vacuum Enda Kenny's candidates were the beneficiaries simply because they were there. Fine Gael has done nothing to earn such support; you would think they had metamorphosed since 2002 into political Olympians, in terms of personnel, policies, street cred and vision.
It has taken a term-and-a-half for the public to sicken of Fianna Fáil; but recent Irish political history demonstrates that a putative Fine Gael-led rainbow government wouldn't last half of one term in the electorate's affections. I don't enjoy the thought, but it's true. - Yours, etc.,
OLIVER McGRANE,
Marley Avenue,
Rathfarnham,
Dublin 16.
Madam, - Much has been made in media reports of Sinn Féin electoral gains in both the Local Government and European elections in the Republic of Ireland. In the North, meanwhile, there has been a parallel and massive decline in the SDLP vote.
Gerry Moriarty, writing in your edition of June 15th, quotes the party's leader, Mark Durkan, as admitting there was room for some "ironic reflection" on how the SDLP, through the Hume-Adams initiative of the early 1990s, had brought the Republican Movement into the political system proper.
Some commentators have suggested that a similar process may be happening in the Republic vis-à-vis Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin. Certainly, Fianna Fáil has been guilty not only of pandering to Sinn Féin but on occasions of exhibiting crass naïvety by believing that the military wing of that party is about to be made redundant.
It is obvious now that Adams and company have been leading Mr Ahern by his political nose and tempting Fianna Fáil towards the slippery slopes of political oblivion.
Is it not time that all democratic parties of both left and right woke up to this creeping fascism? If they need an example just let them reflect on the fate of the SDLP in Northern Ireland. - Yours, etc.,
SEAN WHELAN, ROISIN WHELAN, Ormond Keep, Nenagh, Co Tipperary.
Madam, - Some commentators and politicians have attempted to blame the smoking ban for the election losses experienced by Fianna Fáil. While some smokers may have punished Fianna Fáil, it is highly unlikely that the electorate as a whole did so. In the first place, 75 per cent of the population do not smoke, and of the 25 per cent that do, 70 per cent want to quit. Hence a huge majority of the population would see the ban as benefiting their health. In addition, all political parties, including Sinn Féin, support the ban.
A clearer picture emerges when one examines some of the actual results from the elections. In the Dublin EU elections, the poll-topper, Gay Mitchell, was a most vociferous supporter of the smoking ban when he was shadow spokesperson for health. Contrast his result with that of the candidate who campaigned against the ban, Paul Doonan. He came bottom of the poll. In the local elections, a prominent Fianna Fáil politician and publican from Galway who was very much the face and voice of the vintners' campaign against the smoking ban lost his seat.
The reality is that the smoking ban has been warmly embraced by the great majority of people. - Yours, etc.,
Dr FENTON HOWELL, ASH Ireland, Northumberland Road, Dublin 2.
Madam, - The number of election posters on lampposts was unprecedented and excessive. In places there were so many trying to outdo each other that voters became oblivious to their messages, noticing only how unsightly they were.
I accept responsibility for 275 of these posters. Some candidates in my area had about 10 times as many. It is time for politicians to lead by example and to stop littering our city and country in this manner. I am seeking cross-party support for a strict limit on the number of posters permitted per candidate. Ultimately, I would like to see a complete ban on posters if this can be introduced without favouring incumbent politicians over new entrants. - Yours, etc.,
Cllr WENDY HEDERMAN, Ranelagh, Dublin 6.