FRANK McGOWAN,
Sir, - Following the publication of the Flood Tribunal's interim report there are unanswered questions for the Taoiseach.
He was in possession of more information than the rest of us when he was "looking up every tree" in north Dublin before appointing Ray Burke to the important Foreign Affairs portfolio in 1997.
Why did he make that appointment? What happened to Jack Lynch's principle that there should not be even a hint of suspicion attaching to his Ministers? Enda Kenny said it demonstrated a lack of judgment on the part of Bertie. I think there must be more to it than that. A comment by Garret FitzGerald comes to mind.
Bertie Ahern continues to be tainted by his ongoing association with a man criticised by the Tribunal, who was his director of elections at the recent general election and is currently director of Fianna Fáil's Nice Treaty referendum campaign; by his embrace of P. Flynn in the course of that general election; by his failure, consistently, to condemn those guilty of wrongdoing. I could go on.
The Teflon is wearing thin. - Yours, etc.,
FRANK McGOWAN, Wheatfield, Bray, Co Wicklow.
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Sir, - "The world and his mother and brother knew. . ." says Mr Ahern, as if this would exonerate Mr McCreevy's depictionof the state of the country's finances during the election campaign.
Well, "the world and his mother and brother knew" about Mr Burke and his cronies, even as a certain politician was climbing trees in North Dublin.
Does Mr Ahern feel this exonerates Mr Burke et al., or should they be subject to the full rigours of the law? - Yours, etc.,
BRENDAN TREACY, Drumree, Co Meath.
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Sir, - If Bertie Ahern wants my vote at the next general election, it's up a tree in north Dublin. - Yours, etc.,
MARTIN LOUGHNAN, Skerries, Co Dublin.
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Sir, - Has Raphael Burke's "line in the sand" been washed away by the Flood? - Yours, etc.,
BRENDAN LONG, Uam Var Avenue, Bishopstown, Cork.
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Sir, - At last: a fearless, plain-speaking man of integrity. Good on you, Mr Justice Flood. - Yours, etc.,
ANNE WALSH, Temple Vale, Ballintemple, Cork.
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Sir, - Briargate? Liargate. - Yours, etc.,
DAVID GRANT, Mount Pleasant, Waterford.
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Sir, - Showtime, P.J? - Yours, etc.,
PETER MOLLOY, Haddington Park, Glenageary, Co Dublin.