Madam, - Fine Gael's new election posters promise that the party will make it tougher for criminals to get bail. There is one slight problem with this promise. It is people accused of a crime, and not criminals, who get bail. As the presumption of innocence is a constitutionally enshrined fundamental element of the criminal justice system, people on bail should be referred to as innocent, and not as criminals.
This is a pretty glaring error. There are two explanations for it in my view. Either Fine Gael doesn't grasp the fundamentals of the legal system, or it is willing to ignore these principles for a little short-term political gain. I'm not sure which is worse.
- Yours, etc,
GARY FITZGERALD, Foley Street, Dublin 1.