Madam, – Three cheers for Vincent Browne and his comments on Mary Harney (Opinion, November 3rd). While there has been considerable media criticism of many of the other politicians who contributed to the present crisis (McCreevy, Ahern, Cowen, etc), she has escaped due scrutiny until now.
The image she constructed of herself as a politician of conviction, and a woman who made it in a man’s world, has never been properly scrutinised. Of course it helps that she speaks with an educated suburban accent – it’s much easier to scoff at a politician with a thick brogue. As for her gender, being a woman has not stopped Mary Coughlan from being lampooned (ironically, the present mess that is Fás arose on Ms Harney’s watch but it was Ms Coughlan who got the blame).
Her policies do not correspond to any credible ideology or economic doctrine but are driven only by a clientelist approach with the wealthy elite, whose lifestyle she has emulated courtesy of the Irish taxpayer.
Thank goodness her party is gone – with any luck she herself will be gone after the next election. – Yours, etc,