Sir, - On Thursday, December 12th, at about 18:10 (the peak of the rush hour), I was making my way on foot from Stephen's Green to Merrion Square and admiring, the tastefully arranged traffic cones along the way. As I approached that bottleneck of bottlenecks, Merrion Row, I passed the" Shelbourne Hotel.
Imagine my surprise when I observed parked outside a row of limousines, ranging from the small and ostentatious to the large and obnoxious. In spite of the traffic cones, these were under the personal supervision of two members of the Garda Siochana, who appeared to be wearing festive attire of some sort - their jackets were certainly colourful and (dare I say?) luminous. Also in their care were two Garda escort motorcycles. It is my (mis)understanding that the coning-off of the streets was to facilitate the movement of visiting heads of state.
Surely they should not be allowed to contribute to our traffic chaos? Why should they not walk about the city? As politicians, they are paid for the risks they run, and as politicians they also rank as primus inter pares, so should not object to such an obvious display of equality as travelling on the same terms as all others? In the event that something regrettable occurred, we can always make amends by giving them a good send-off, and also thank our lucky stars that not one of them would be of the strategic importance of the Archduke Ferdinand, so that Europe would not be plunged into war by their passing.
The Plain People of Ireland never took to the aristocracy being driven around waving graciously in their direction, and we had a revolution to prove it. How much less they like politicians, of whatever persuasion, being driven about at high speed and not even bothering to wave graciously in their direction! If another such meeting is to be held, perhaps a temporary centre might be constructed on an underused piece of land - say, near Knock Airport - and the festivities, such as they are, held there.
We Irish peasants may not actually be revolting, but we have not forgotten how! (Verb. sap.) - Yours, etc,
Tinode, Blessington, Co Wicklow.