Sir, – The Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Brendan Howlin says "Labour would have been vilified had it put its own interest first at that time", referring to the decision to go into coalition with Fine Gael after the 2011 election ("Time for talking is running out", Opinion & Analysis, April 13th). Is it reasonable therefore to ask how the national interest was served by Mr Howlin when one of the first decisions he took back then was to break the self-appointed ceiling of €92,000 for "special advisers" by sanctioning increases (some of them double-digit percentage increases) across a number of ministerial departments for said individuals?
With all due respect to Mr Howlin, the people have the ultimate say on how they want their country to be governed, and not politicians. They clearly rejected Labour and Labour’s way.
With the best will in the world, it will take some time before any credence can be attached to what members of that party offer by way of public comment or opinion on the current political situation.
Frankfurt’s way won, not Labour’s, and it is time to acknowledge that. – Yours, etc,
TOM McELLIGOTT,
Listowel, Co Kerry.