Sir, – Regardless of what was said or promised by the political parties before the election, the electorate had different ideas, and has chosen 50 Fine Gael and 44 Fianna Fáil TDs to represent them in Dáil Éireann. Others were chosen, but not in the numbers to form a government.
Short of analysing each vote, many of which were across party lines anyway, we know that this represented the wishes of the Irish electorate. In other words, we have voted to ask more TDs from these two parties, more than any other, to lead the country forward, sort out our problems, deliver a sustainable economy, and a fair and just society.
If the leading personalities cannot work together towards this end, then it is the responsibility of their parties to elect party leaders who can work together as a team for Ireland. – Yours, etc,
SHEILA DEEGAN,
Clontarf,
Dublin 3.
Sir, – Watching events inside and outside the Dáil was quite depressing. Outside we had some protesters still flogging the dead horse of Irish Water and challenging the authorities. Worse still was to see two Independent TDs from Kerry dancing on the bonnet of a car in some form of triumphal ceremony.
I find it hard to understand that such behaviour can be consistent with the challenges they face when entering the Dáil chamber. They would do well to reflect that in doing so they represent all the citizens of this country.
In the chamber, we had speaker after speaker paraphrasing the preceding speaker, none with any seeming conviction, sense of occasion, urgency, or new idea, and each entrenched in their own particular ideology. Surely this is not what we voted for.
We may well have been disenchanted with events of the past 10 years, irrespective of who was responsible, and many may still be disadvantaged, but without doubt, looking at these shenanigans, we have done ourselves a major disservice. – Yours, etc,
DEREK MacHUGH,
Bray,
Co Wicklow.
Sir, – Take care, caretaker. – Yours, etc,
RORY CONWAY,
Ballyboden,
Dublin 16.
Sir, – I note that a number of TDs said they wanted a government yet refused to vote for any candidate as taoiseach. Watching the grandstanding of many of the speakers, I despair of any real Dáil reform. – Yours, etc,
MARGARET LEE,
Newport,
Co Tipperary.
Sir, – I see that no taoiseach has been elected, which, as far as I know, means the current government stays on in a caretaker capacity. Meaning that for the 100th anniversary of the Easter Rising, there’ll be a “provisional government” in place. Strange times. – Yours, etc,
MARTIN HEARTY,
Crossmaglen,
Co Armagh.
Sir, – Is Anti-Austerity Alliance – People Before Profit the only political party in history to have the same number of words in its name as TDs? – Yours, etc,
TOM FULLER,
Glasnevin,
Dublin 11.
Sir, – We may all need to convalesce if Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil coalesce. – Yours, etc,
MICHELE SAVAGE,
Dublin 12.
Sir, – In 1268, Catholic cardinals met in the village of Viterbo, far from a plague-ravaged Rome, to select a new pope. However, the people soon grew angry at how long the process was taking (there was a split between French and Italian factions), and locked the cardinals in a nearby palace, where eventually they tried to starve the cardinals into making a decision, giving them only bread and water.
Finally they tore the roof off the palace in a bid to expose the cardinals to the elements. The cardinals soon agreed to a compromise candidate.
Is there a lesson here for the current political impasse? – Yours, etc,
Fr PAUL CLAYTON-LEA ,
Tallanstown,
Co Louth.
Sir, – Blah, blah, blah. When will it ever end? – Yours,etc,
BILL HYLAND,
Dublin 11.
A chara, – It is frustrating to hear almost every political commentator across various media outlets cry foul that Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have not just “done the decent thing” and formed a government of some sort. The rush by the same commentators to castigate Sinn Féin for having the audacity to adhere to its pre-election stance of not supporting a government led by either Fianna Fáil or Fine Gael is downright hypocritical.
The sight of politicians saying one thing prior to an election and doing just the opposite once they have been elected has become too familiar in this country, never more so than after the last government was elected.
Now we have a situation whereby politicians and political parties – whatever their reasons – have ruled out going into government in certain circumstances or with certain groupings, and we have a media that is effectively trying to goad them into abandoning the platform on which they campaigned.
Yes, we need a government, but not at all costs. We need a government dictated by policies and principles, not by numbers and convenience, and the media’s desire for their story to progress. – Is mise,
SIMON O’CONNOR,
Crumlin,
Dublin 12.
Sir, – Party mandates are a great excuse for not acting in the current dilemma.
There will be issues ahead not covered by party mandates.
What will those elected then do?
Go back to the people or act intelligently? – Yours, etc,
COLIN ROGAN,
Terenure,
Dublin 6W.