LUCINDA CREIGHTON,
Sir, - It appears that after five years of moral drought, Michael McDowell has finally seen the light. He has kindly informed us, from his shaky perch in his ivory tower in Dublin South East, that the Campus Ireland proposal is an issue of political morality. How nice to see that when he desperately seeks our votes, he is suddenly prepared to descend to the uncharted and distasteful levels of moral self-examination. What a pity, however, that he failed to grace us on the lowly plains of probity at the beginning of, or indeed during, his tenure as the highest lawmaker in the land.
Perhaps if morality had entered his mind a little sooner he would have been equally vociferous on issues such as the Foley fiasco, Lawlor's jail house jaunts, Cooper Flynn's tax turns, Ray Burke's dodgy dealings and Bertie's blank cheques.
He might well have served his morality better had he put a little more thought into the wording of his proposals to incriminate women via his referendum brainchild, or if he had even objected to his colleague Mr Molloy's endeavours, in lobbying on behalf of a brutal rapist. Clearly his moral barometer also mysteriously failed to pick up on his own party leader's misuse of government air miles.
It shall prove interesting, after this election has run its course, to see whether Mr McDowell will have any moral objections to his party, the PD (singular), supporting a Fianna Fáil-led government which insists on pushing this ludicrous, unjust and highly elitist Bertie Bowl project forward.
Somehow I fear that the moral pontifications of the AG will be a faint whisper of the past, a little like his chances of winning a seat in the 29th Dail. - Yours, etc.,
LUCINDA CREIGHTON, Lower Grand Canal Street, Dublin 2.
... ... * ... * ... * ... ...
Sir, - I just love the the statement (April 29th) by FG's Michael Noonan that he will deliver on healthcare.
Don't you know Michael Noonan that the women of Ireland know that you did not deliver for Bridget McCole.
She will not be forgotten. - Yours, etc.,
GER CONWAY (Mrs), Scolarstown Road, Dublin 16.
... ... * ... * ... * ... ...
Sir, - An Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, speaking recently on national radio, described how ashamed he felt to have been at Lansdowne Road for the Ireland v America soccer friendly. The reason was because of the puddles on the pitch. Perhaps he could address the following questions?
(1) Is he ashamed that our citizens are dying on trolleys?
(2) Is he ashamed that mná na hÉireann now have to wait six months for the results of a smear test?
(3) Is he ashamed that our Gardaí are being mowed down on our roads in the line of duty? - Yours, etc.,
BARBARA LUCEY, Blackrock, Co Dublin.
... ... * ... * ... * ... ...
Sir, - Thank you, Martyn Turner, for the excellent cartoon of Mary Harney being carted to an electoral guillotine (April 30th). It is particularly apposite given that the lady is prone to headstrong bandwagon-jumping. - Yours etc.,
NIGEL COOKE, Hillside Road, Whyteleafe, Surrey.
... ... * ... * ... * ... ...
Sir, - In response to Roisin Ingle's and Robert O'Byrne's article (April 26th) we would like to express our disappointment at the attitude they adopted. Their impression that our country's young people "are completely apathetic, have absolutely no interest in politics and spend all their time text messaging each other" is abhorrent.
We, the future legislators of this country, are tired of being patronised and stereotyped. We are not apathetic and are tired of being ignored by the media and in some cases by politicians themselves. In recent weeks politicians have ignored us on door-to-door visits, instead asking "are your parents at home?"
We have seen recently in the French presidential elections the terrible effects that voter apathy can have on the foundations of a democratic state. It is not we, the young voters, who are offering "Ways to avoid the Election Campaign". Is it Mr O'Byrne and Ms Ingle who are guilty of encouraging voter apathy? Need we ask? - Yours, etc.,
AISLING LALLY, GILLIAN O CONNELL, GERARDINE DEACY, AOIFE O DONOVAN, Leaving Cert students, Presentation SS, Galway.
... ... * ... * ... * ... ...
Sir, - In reply to Joe Kelly's ill-informed letter (April 30th) on the present Government's treatment of the Irish language, the Irish "go leor" can be translated as "a lot, enough, plenty". Tá go leor againn ann: there are quite a few of us / there are enough of us.
Tá go leor le rá agat: You talk a lot.
Tá go leor leor airgid agam: I have lots and lots of money.
I suggest Joe Kelly brush up his understanding of the Irish language. A little knowledge is a dangerous thing. In the meantime, he could have a look at Niall Ó Dónaill's Irish-English dictionary. Tá mo dhóthain ráite. - Yours, etc.,
ÚNA NÍ CHONCHÚIR, Beechmount Road, Highfield Park, Galway.
... ... * ... * ... * ... ...
Sir, - Joe Kelly (April 30th) claims that FF have incorrectly translated their slogan, and that "go leor déanta" means "enough done". It does not. "Go leor déanta" translates as "a lot done", while "enough done" would be "dóthain déanta". A similar confusion seems to exist in relation to the translation of "Sinn Féin", which does not translate as "ourselves only", but rather as "we ourselves", quite a different message. - Yours, etc.,
MICHAEL O'SCATHAILL, Dundrum, Dublin 14.
... ... * ... * ... * ... ...
A chara, - I would honestly consider myself to be a floating voter with no political party allegiance.
However having viewed the RTÉ six o'clock news on April 29th and seeing Bertie Ahern cajoling with the Flynns while campaigning in the West, my mind was firmly made up.
"A picture paints a thousand words" as they say! Is mise, -
FINIAN SLATTERY, Blessington,Co Wicklow.
... ... * ... * ... * ... ...
Sir, - Why should Irish citizen's abroad, divorced from the realities of life in Ireland, ignorant of the policies of the various political parties and with no stake in the outcome of an election have the right to choose an Irish Government? Irish expatriates contribute nothing to this country so why should they have a say in the running of it? To paraphrase the founding fathers of the United States, no representation without taxation. - Yours, etc.,
MICHAEL DOLAN, Clonmel, Co Tipperary.
... ... * ... * ... * ... ...
Sir, - Are Fine Gael entirely daft? They have risen like snapping perch to the Fianna Fáil bait of the National Development Finance Agency. Not even the late Sean MacEntee with all his wiles could have invented such a bespoke device to make FG prance and fume like demented bookkeepers in the gaze of a pitying electorate. Have they no understanding that they have been had by this mirage? - Yours, etc.,
HUGO BRADY BROWN, Baltinglass, Co Wicklow.
... ... * ... * ... * ... ...
Sir, - There has been quite a bit of discussion on the Pat Kenny radio show about electronic voting in the upcoming election in some constituencies. It seems that those who vote will be asked to make their choice by pressing the appropriate number(s) on a keypad.
Wouldn't it be far simpler and quicker if each voter was given a card like the lottery one where they could cast their vote in the same way the rest of us will, by putting a number against the name of their chosen candidate(s)? The card could then be processed in the same way the lottery slips are done. Once the card has been used it could be put in a ballot box for safe keeping.
The added bonus of such a scheme is that some enterprising party could come up with the clever idea of tying in the election with that week's massive Lotto jackpot. If it meant a reduction of the lottery queues in the shops, they'd get my No 1! - Yours, etc.,
RUTH GILL, Birr, Co Offaly.