Sir, - John Waters (Opinion, June 12th) twists logic in seeking to prevent the Fine Gael Leader, John Bruton, questioning Fianna Fail's and Bertie Ahern's deeds and omissions, including his long-term support for Charles Haughey, because of what happened in the Lowry case. Whereas John Bruton had no knowledge at all of Michael Lowry's tax affairs when he appointed him as Minister, Bertie Ahern did know of donations to Ray Burke when he appointed him Minister for Foreign Affairs. He did know of John Ellis's debts to farmers when he appointed him as Chairman of the Dail Agriculture Committee; and he knew of Liam Lawlor's controversial career when he appointed him a member of the Dail Members' Interests Committee
There will be many who agree, and many others who disagree, with John Bruton that Michael Lowry, when his tax affairs are put in order, and all penalties fully paid in whatever way is independently decided, might eventually be allowed to rejoin Fine Gael. John Waters himself has argued, as has Fine Gael, that those who partook in violence in the past, once they renounced it for good, should be given a second chance politically. But apparently there is to be no possibility of a second chance for anyone to whom John Waters politically objects. Michael Lowry did wrong and acted in a way that was always unacceptable in Fine Gael and he was rightly made to pay a high price by John Bruton. But to compare his wrong-doing to that of Charles Haughey is lamentable.
As far as Bertie Ahern's support for Charles Haughey is concerned, it is entirely reasonable for Fine Gael to question the Taoiseach's actions and omissions in:
(a) staying silent, as a backbencher in 1979, while Jack Lynch was undermined by other Fianna Fail backbenchers;
(b) consistently supporting Charles Haughey against those, like Des O'Malley, Mary Harney, Bobby Molloy, David Andrews, Seamus Brennan and Charlie McCreevy, who challenged Mr Haughey's style of leadership and government on several occasions, to their own detriment;
(c) sitting in Cabinet with Mr Haughey while dubious decisions such as the 1987 Goodman deal and the Carysfort land deal was put through;
(d) as both a qualified accountant and a co-signatory of the Fianna Fail leader's account, signing blank cheques involving taxpayers' money for the use of Mr Haughey, without asking for an account of the use being made of it.
Moreover, Bertie Ahern as Taoiseach added further query to his own credibility and standards by appointing Ray Burke as Minister for Foreign Affairs and justifying it on the grounds that he made enquiries "up every tree in north Dublin", which claim turned out to be totally spurious.
Fine Gael has a right and an obligation to ask these questions of the current Taoiseach, and it will continue to do so. For doing so, John Bruton for doing so is now being treated by some media commentators as Garret FitzGerald was treated when he raised, at the time, questions about Mr Haughey's "flawed pedigree". For too long the body politic was cowed into suspending disbelief about Mr Haughey's actions by commentators sympathetic to Mr Haughey, and now we are apparently expected to do likewise in relation to Mr Ahern. - Yours, etc.,
Jim Mitchell TD, Fine Gael Front Bench Spokesman on Institutional and Public Service Reform, Dail Eireann, Dublin 2.