BERNADINE O'SULLIVAN,
Sir, - The three NUI Senators, Quinn , Ryan and O'Toole, are to be congratulated for retaining their seats in the Seanad elections. However, a statement by Senator O'Toole on the main RTÉ News programmes last Thursday must not go uncorrected.
Senator O'Toole, president of the ICTU, stated that he was "humbled" by the level of support he had received from ASTI members. There is no evidence to support this statement. Senator O'Toole has lost 27 per cent of his first-preference votes since the last Seanad election.
At the same time, the first-preference votes of the ASTI-endorsed candidate increased by 30 per cent. As this was my first time contesting this election, I am immensely encouraged by this level of increased support, both for myself and for the policies of the ASTI.
My votes were not distributed as fifth-time candidate O'Toole, a former poll-topper, was elected without reaching the quota because he had the highest number of votes after the two candidates who had reached the quota, Quinn and Ryan, were deemed elected.
When the vote of an ASTI member who had applied for but was refused endorsement by the ASTI were distributed, 263 went to O'Toole, 234 to me and the highest number, 340, went to Ryan.
If Senator O'Toole is assuming that these votes came from ASTI members, this level of support for Senator O'Toole is insignificant.
What is important is the 27 per cent decrease in his traditional support in terms of first preferences, coupled with the 30 per cent increase for an ASTI-endorsed candidate who has articulated her union's official position on benchmarking and who has expressed concerns about the Commission on Pensions, of which Senator O'Toole was a member.
Did Senator O'Toole deliberately make his unsupported remarks on our main news programmes about mythical ASTI support in order to create an impression that the concerns about the radical new way of paying public servants had abated? "Spinning" and "soundbites" may be tolerated. Distortion of the facts must not - especially when that distortion occurs through our national broadcasting stations. - Yours, etc.,
BERNADINE O'SULLIVAN, Fortfield Road, Terenure, Dublin 6W.