Sir, - Let us be honest and state what we really want from our politicians: (a) to work purely in a voluntary capacity; (b) to regard hitherto genuine friends and acquaintances as conniving; (c) to holiday no further away than the nearest resort to their home; (d) to be generous or kind to everyone except those who run profitable businesses and keep the Celtic Tiger roaring; (e) to refuse generosity and kindness from everyone.
The current villa controversy is embarrassing. If I was lucky enough to have a friend who owned a villa in the South of France and who was kind enough to give me use of it for my holidays I would have little hesitation in taking up the offer. If I owned one, I'd like to think I would give my friends use of it.
I hope Mary, Charlie, Nora, Jim and anyone else who has used the villa had a super break. (Don't mind the begrudgers - you would have been daft not to avail of the offer.) The McEvaddys are clearly good, genuine, generous friends. They can lend a villa. I can lend a tent. So what if one is a little bit bigger than the other? - Yours, etc.,
Neil Atkins, Carrickhill Drive, Portmarnock.