Madam, - The squabbling between Fintan O'Toole and Enda Kenny on the subject of "drunk tanks" does not augur well for the level of political debate in next year's general election.
Mr O'Toole is arguing from the comfort of his position as a columnist with a prestigious newspaper and is neither elected by, nor accountable to, any democratic process. Mr Kenny, as a putative Taoiseach, would do well to ignore the toy dog snapping at his heels and concentrate instead, not on easy-clean mattresses for drunks in A&E departments but on formulating a coherent and workable policy to respond to the drink culture in this country.
All political parties facing the electorate in 2007 will need to prove they are prepared to do more than tinker with this problem. The agencies that control the drinks industry in this country have to be tackled resolutely by government and families must be supported in practical ways in the task of educating children to use alcohol wisely.
It is infantile of Mr Kenny to suggest that the A&E experience of his spokesperson for health is sufficient proof of the effectiveness of "drunk tanks". It is incredible that he should believe in them as a solution for the "habitual, rampant public drunkenness that has taken hold of communities all over Ireland", - which, incidentally, Fine Gael "will not tolerate", though it expects doctors and nurses to do so.
Flights of rhetorical fancy without clear and evidence-based policies will not convince voters and Mr Kenny would do well to credit them with more intelligence than he appears to do at the moment.
The Fianna Fáil-PD coalition has been cowardly and weak-kneed in its approach to teenage drinking. Will Fine Gael be any different? It's not looking good. - Is mise,
Dr ORLA HALPENNY, Glenard University Residence, Clonskeagh, Dublin 14.