Madam, - Brilliant is the word for Fintan O'Toole's article on Charles Haughey and the arts (Weekend Review, February 10th).
Kamikaze scribes such as myself have been ranting on about much the same issues, no doubt at some cost to our working lives as writers and even as reviewers, for some years. Artists and writers grovelled at Haughey's feet. They showed their gratitude by neutering their political and social selves.
Yet none of his cultural high priests stepped in to support him when his chips were finally down, though often they'd eulogised him when he was wining and dining them at Kinsealy. Undoubtedly the creation of Aosdána did purchase the silence of a number of the weaker artists and writers, though one cannot imagine it was set up to do so.
But an offshoot of this was that an ethos developed where not having any political view at all was considered "politically" preferable to being outspoken and critical.
Aosdána will shortly be asked to vote on a motion to agree a cultural boycott of Israel. It will be interesting to see how this usually timid and politically paralysed organisation behaves.
Fintan O'Toole's piece was a credit to him and The Irish Times. There was old fire there. Haughey may be gone, but some of the mentality he helped to create remains. - Yours, etc,
FRED JOHNSTON, Carn Ard, Circular Road, Galway.