Sir, - As a member of the Labour Party I would like to extend my congratulations to Barry Conway and Malcolm Byrne, Fianna Fail first time candidates for the forthcoming local elections who have called on their party leadership to convene an extraordinary Ardfheis where members may express their revulsion at recent revelations and to refocus the party on its true ideals (February 11th). Such a call was courageous and offers hope to Ireland's largest party.
I have many friends and acquaintances who are "died in the wool" Fianna Fail - they feel totally demoralised. Deep is the sense of bitterness and betrayal of those who spent years fund-raising and donating hard earned cash they scarcely could afford to keep their local Cumann and the national party from bankruptcy. Much of Fianna Fail's crisis is silent and probably deeper than reported.
However the political crisis created by the Haughey era is felt beyond Fianna Fail. How often have I heard at the door steps that "politicians are all the same" - in other words all corrupt and out for themselves alone. This as Messrs Conway and Byrne, and my fellow Labour Party members know, is far from the truth. There are many who believe that party politics is still an appropriate vehicle to change society for the fairer and for the better.
I was one of many who struggled in vain to make a living at the beginning of the Haughey era. It quickly became apparent that the wisest course of action was to get out. Like thousands of the "young and well educated," I fled the negative, incompetent and inactive administration of Haugheyism. Even to this day, I still feel that such emigration was forced rather than chosen. And when I read the Tribunal reports about all the money that was sloshing around amongst members of the golden circle, I feel that there could have been alternatives to emigration. How many returned emigrants can ever forgive the old brown envelope brigade? Thus if for a different reason, I fully share the public's revulsion of old Fianna Fail.
Now I would urge the new crop of political hopefuls to go it alone. There is little or no point of calling on the present Fianna Fail "leadership" for leadership. Try as it might to reinvent and change their image, present Fianna Fail "leadership" are, to a greater or lesser degree, masters of the "Haughey-stroke" school of administration. The best that will be offered to Messrs Conway and Byrne is the establishment of a committee to report to another committee and, so, into the sands.
A simpler and more adequate solution for all new Fianna Fail candidates would be, for themselves, to convene an open meeting of the grass roots faithful. Perhaps it could recommend that all of yesterday's men (and indeed women) are given an amnesty option. This could be on the grounds of a political truth commission: those who actually knew of the corruption but kept their heads down, in order to hold on to power should leave now. Yesterday's political class should be invited to tell the full story as it was, in return for total immunity from civil or criminal prosecution, and be allowed to retire on full pay. Such people are too preoccupied with the past to be able to see the future needs of our society. If yesterday's men are sincere about what is best for our national leadership, they should hand it over immediately. - Yours, etc., Ciaran Walsh,
Kincora Drive, Dublin 3.