Sir, - How disappointing that the 12 members of an all-party Committee in our Oireachtas would seem unanimously to hunger after the trappings of royalty and propose an "honours list". Certainly, various republics have made the mistake of following the royalties of Europe and going down the "honours list" road, but the honours of those countries largely give grounds for complaints, suspicions and criticism and often are even a joke.
Make no mistake, an honours system set up in Ireland would be destined to be just that. If leading politicians want to see a Paddy Murphy, O.I.E., or something similar, we know what the average Irish citizen will think and say about it, rightly or wrongly.
Let us hope our common-sense Taoiseach, and Government will follow the path of centuries-old democracies like the United States and Switzerland, and put this proposal on the long, long finger. We don't need it, and it will cause a lot, lot more trouble than whatever superficial worth it might seem to have. - Is mise, Dermot Waldron,
Woodenbridge, Co Wicklow.