Negotiations on a government

Madam, - I am bothered by the idea of allowing a delegate convention of a political party, rather than its elected TDs, to decide…

Madam, - I am bothered by the idea of allowing a delegate convention of a political party, rather than its elected TDs, to decide whether or not that party will participate in government.

The electorate placed on the 166 TDs the responsibility of providing the country with a government. By allowing a party convention, unaccountable to the public at large, to decide if its elected representatives should participate in government, the TDs of that party would, in my opinion, be abrogating their responsibility to the electorate.

There may well be a case for TDs consulting their party members before deciding to participate in government. Once this process is over, however, the elected representatives should make their decision and await the judgment of the electorate on their choice at the next election. To do less is to shirk responsibility. - Yours, etc,

TONY SHINE, Kew Park Crescent, Lucan, Co Dublin.

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Madam, - Cormac O'Dea (June 7th) wilfully or otherwise misses the point that I was making about the current attempts to form a coalition - and that is that the electorate has specifically and utterly rejected PD ideology to the extent of almost obliterating that party from the political map. From where comes the mandate for a member of that party to assume control over a vital Department of State, or indeed to have any say whatever in running our affairs? There are local councillors with bigger electoral mandates than the PDs.

The people have decided they do not wish the PDs to have any say in our affairs and for Fianna Fáil or anyone else to ignore that wish will be to shunt us towards a totalitarian democracy where the vote is a sham.

Regardless of your political allegiance, the outcome of the election must be honestly recognised and if the PD rump retain any self-respect they will acknowledge the wishes of the people and go into limbo, out of harm's way, to ponder their future.

Taking charge of a government department in present circumstances would be a dangerous anti-democratic act, plain and simple. - Yours, etc,

JIM O'SULLIVAN, Rathedmond, Sligo.