Madam, - I write to express my disgust at the Taoiseach's performance on Tuesday. He entered the Dáil not to give an account of payments received while Minister for Finance, but rather to brazen out his belief that he did nothing wrong.
That his 15-minute lecture telling us this is seen by himself, his party and the PDs as an explanation and an apology is beyond belief. He gave no satisfactory answers to the questions put to him by the Opposition, and displayed an attitude of irritation and annoyance that this was expected of him.
All the Taoiseach did was to reiterate the farcical account he had given in the preceding days. He still does not accept that taking money for his personal use while in public office is wrong. This is astounding.
What is most sickening about the affair is that we are supposedly to accept from the Taoiseach that he did nothing wrong, while over the years we have had to listen to his numerous and hypocritical pronouncements on standards and ethics in public office. Obviously these standards and ethics apply to others but not to himself.
He has disgraced the office of Taoiseach and treated the Irish people with contempt. He belongs in the same gallery of rogues and chancers as Haughey, Burke, Lawlor and all the other sleaze-merchants. Shame on him. - Is mise,
KATE O'DWYER, Knocknacally, Youghal, Co Cork.
Madam, - To claim that a Minister for Finance, on a salary of five times the average, was going through hard times financially shows how much out of touch the present Government is with those who are really going through hard times.
Not surprisingly, most of those who defend and praise Bertie Ahern are doing nicely themselves. During his term of office the gap between the wealthy and the poor with no property has widened as never before in the history of this State. The gap is now a chasm detrimental to society as a whole. There is more employment but less job security. Hundreds of thousands (and growing) of our workers earn so little that they pay no tax - one thing they have in common with people who had incomes of €1 million last year.
The most frightening thing about the recent episode is the absence of a sense of right and wrong from Government Ministers who make the laws the rest of us must obey.
Politics is one thing, and we have too much of it, but a sense of right and wrong is the fulcrum of everything. - Yours, etc,
PAT HUGHES, Bird Avenue, Clonskeagh, Dublin 4.
Madam, - Without revealing her sources, I wonder can the Editor of The Irish Times indicate was any money or benefit given to those who provided her with the leaked document relating to the Taoiseach's previous financial affairs?
If so, could she indicate the nature or possibly value of such benefit? On the other hand, is she in a position to state that no conceivable benefit (apart from the consequent political mayhem) accrued to those who organised the leak?
I'm sure most people may appreciate the need for confidentiality in police matters, or even journalism, but we also need to be assured that the people involved are genuine and sincere. Could the purpose of such a leak have been other than "informing the public" and could it have been the intent to destabilise the Government?
Without the final step of revealing its source, I think The Irish Times has a duty to assure us that to the best of its knowledge, there was not a financial or other intent (sinister or otherwise) behind the offer and acceptance by The Irish Times of this information.
It is very hard to see how, knowing that this information was improperly sourced, The Irish Times did not refer the leak to the tribunal before publishing it. Was it a question of rushing to publish before it could be stopped - rather than being a conscientious newspaper with the best interest of the country at heart? - Yours, etc,
DAVID P FARRELL, Aughriman, Drumshanbo, Co Leitrim.
I am happy to assure readers that, in line with this newspaper's policy, no payment or benefit was given in return for the document in question. - Ed, IT.
Madam, - Hats off to The Irish Times, its editor and journalist for exposing once again the behind-the-scenes deals at the highest political level.
Had The Irish Times not published this news item of enormous public interest, it would be failing in its duty to the Irish people.
It might be well also to remember that if it weren't for the media in general we might never have known of the corrupt politicians who were part of the Irish political scene in recent times. How can we now forget the infamous names of Haughey, Burke, Lawlor, Lowry, Redmond and many others? Mind you all of these people pleaded they did no wrong.
We thought we heard the present Taoiseach emphatically lay down the law a few short years ago as to what a politician's financial constraints should be, particularly high level office holders. What will we hear next? - Yours, etc,
MICHAEL MOORE, Ferbane, Co Offaly.
Madam, - It seems unfair of Opposition politicians to describe the Tánaiste as Bertie's Poodle.
Poodles are feisty, courageous and fearless little animals. They seldom shiver and shake in the face of danger.
Mr McDowell, on the other hand, backed down rapidly at the first sign of a threat. This might lead some people to think that if one is to look for comparisons in the animal kingdom it might be more appropriate to describe the PD leader as the Taoiseach's newly acquired pet mouse. - Yours, etc,
CARMEL COURTNEY, Sandyford Road, Dublin 16.
Madam, - Unless my 79-year-old ears deceived me, the leader of Fine Gael, in his rather pompously formulated questions to an Taoiseach, referred to the office of Taoiseach as the highest office in the land. I would suggest that he read the Constitution, Article 12, 1, where it is stated that the President takes precedence over all other persons in the land.
I was never a great fan of Bertie's, but in his new role as "The Stag at Bay", I am getting to like him. It is difficult to discern the difference between the Fine Gael and Labour leaders. What they have in common is pomposity - they've nothing in common with W.J. Cosgrave or James Connolly, Jim Larkin, etc. - Yours, etc,
WILLIAM O'GORMAN, Glenageary Woods, Dun Laoghaire.
Madam, - Are the Progressive Democrats now the "Provisional Wing" of Fianna Fáil ? -Yours etc,
Dr NIGEL P. COOKE, St Helens, Lancashire, England.
Madam, - You may well hold your nose (Editorial, October 3rd), but the Progressive Democrats insisted on holding the Taoiseach to account. After the revelations in The Irish Times about the secret payments to the Taoiseach, the Progressive Democrats insisted that Mr Ahern gave a full account of the payments through the Dáil to the Irish people.
Voters have a right to know how their politicians fund their own lifestyles. The Tánaiste, Michael McDowell, displayed statesmanlike determination at the height of the political storm. He ensured Mr Ahern gave a full account of the payments he had concealed in the early 19990s. He did not bring down the Government because of the need to finish the radical programme of reform the Progressive Democrats are carrying out in the areas of health and justice.
Mr Ahern's political future is now in the hands of Michael McDowell. Mr Ahern cannot afford to have any more lapses in judgment. - Yours, etc,
JOHN KENNY, Arundel, Monkstown Valley, Co Dublin.
Madam, - We now have a Taoiseach who will never be able to remind his Ministers about ethics and honesty - and a Tánaiste who, in the space of one week, has dragged his party from the moral high ground to the very pits! I feel so sad that the country has reached this undignified state. I worry that this reflects badly on each citizen. Are we collectively responsible for low standards in our Government? - Yours, etc,
E. JACKSON, Foulksmills, Co Wexford.
Madam, - Perhaps the most disturbing aspect of this affair is the repetition of the old mantra, "Sure, they're all at it", in reference to Ministers, TDs and councillors. Well the simple truth is: "We're not". - Yours, etc,
Cllr DERMOT LACEY, Beech Hill Drive, Donnybrook, Dublin 4.