Madam, – Michael Lowry has said that his decision to support the Budget was based on “experience, political maturity and courage to make the hard decision”. He added that he felt “duty bound to put the country’s interests first” and to save us from “irreparable reputational damage” (Breaking News, December 6th). Madam, even the most hardened cynics among us should find these statements truly nauseating.
In 1997 Mr Lowry was found by the McCracken tribunal to have conspired to flout the taxation laws of the State to the tune of hundreds of thousands of pounds, benefiting from black economy payments from a private commercial interest between 1987 and 1993. When this was originally exposed during his time as a member of the Cabinet, he misled the Dáil by saying he had no offshore accounts when he in fact had three.
Has Mr Lowry for one moment considered the “irreparable reputational damage” which his own actions have done to our political system and to the country? Has he acknowledged these wrongs or attempted to atone for them? Like hell, he has.
Mr Lowry can do as he likes on the Budget. But can we please be spared from his pious sermons about the national interest? – Yours, etc,