Sir, - Your editorial, "Politics and the Presidency" (September 5th), was superb. You put the situation succinctly in perspective. The politicisation of the process by the senior party members, geared to suit the needs of the three main political parties themselves rather than those of the people, is palpable.
Avoiding an election by agreeing on a candidate, while clearly protecting the parties from the prospect of defeat, would have completely sidestepped the will of the people. It would, of course, have saved considerable expense, which is fine if we have decided to abandon democracy altogether on the grounds that it is not costeffective. As you so rightly state, "there is no provision for the will of the people to be expressed through some form of popular endorsement."
We get lots of rhetoric about the common good and the democratic process but see all too little of it in practice. Sadly, our most powerful legislators do not seem to share Cicero's point of view: Salus po- puli suprema est lex ("The good of the people is the supreme law"). - Yours, etc., MYLES CROWE,
Seapoint,
Co Dublin.