Sir, - Elaine Lafferty, in her supposed assessment of President Bush's first 100 days (News Features, April 28th) is clearly baffled by the fact that he is guided by ideology - spelt PRINCIPLE, a rare thing in this dirty, dire little place, where pragmatism is the creed. D'Olier Street worthies just can't acknowledge the fact that their chosen heroes, the Clintons and Kennedys of this world, are seen and known for the cheap, crooked profiteers they are, and the Bush team don't give a fig for the ould sod and don't bother to hide the fact. But the Irish have got used to Americans bailing them out, just as they are used to blaming the British for all their troubles.
No Irish politician is fully dressed without his begging bowl and list of grievances. It took an American to referee the northern peace talks, an American president to broker the deal with Downing Street; it even took a Yank to teach the Irish their ditzy little dances. But Ms Lafferty and Conor O'Clery, in the same edition, both missed the really important bit about the first 100 days: if Bush succeeds in significantly lowering corporate taxes, corporate America will reconsider the value of Irish sweatshops (sorry, subsidiaries) and repatriate the jobs and the profits.
There is a lot of disillusion with the prospect and the reality of Ireland as a work/living place. The infrastructure is broken, the health service is breaking, and the natives aren't all that friendly. Factor in the disastrous decisions taken at the Stockholm summit, especially as regards restrictive work practices, and the writing is on the wall. But it escaped the notice of two of D'Olier Street's finest.
If you would understand what's happening in the US, read Andrew Sullivan in the (real) Times, and better yet, Mark Steyn in the Telegraph and Spectator. But if you want to know what Bertie and the lads down the pub are up to, The Irish Times will do. - Yours, etc.,
J.P. Scanlan, Marina Village, Malahide, Co Dublin.