Sir, – I saw Charles Haughey in his office, on each of the three occasions that he left it with dignity, when he ceased to be taoiseach: on June 30th, 1981, after 18 months in office; on December 14th, 1982, after just nine months; and finally on February 9th, 1992, after five years. This was not the behaviour of a Latin American dictator (Bernard Lynch, January 14th).
Some of us are getting a little weary of the continuing whingefest of mature journalists and former politicians. Charles Haughey’s real crime, and it is easy to forget that he was convicted of none, was that up until 1992 he succeeded in surmounting all the challenges made to him. He survived the many attacks of such estimable people as Jack Lynch, Conor Cruise O’Brien, George Colley, Desmond O’Malley, Garret FitzGerald, not to mention the Workers’ Party, and Mrs Thatcher, to the understandable but lasting resentment of most of them, their admirers and their supporters.
While not disputing that Charles Haughey had serious failings and made some bad choices, both personal and political, they are in my opinion outweighed by the more lasting benefit of his many achievements. Rightly, a lot of things today are done differently, and what were very lax ethical rules, often poorly policed, have been tightened up a lot since, which I welcome, though in some areas (eg pre-election spending by candidates) not nearly enough.
With regard to Charlie, while it makes a decent effort to tell a story and covers a lot of ground, I share Vincent Browne's view that The Guarantee is a better example of the genre. – Yours, etc,
MARTIN MANSERGH,
Tipperary, Co Tipperary.