Sir, - Is there some seismic fault, some wasting weakness in the structure of the Fianna Fail party that renders its adherents susceptible to long-term and regular bouts of arrogance, corruption, chronic croneyism, dishonesty, duplicity, evasiveness and lack of accountability?
When called to account for their aberrations, complications set in, taking the form of offended dignity and amnesia. On "Morning Ireland" two Opposition spokespersons asked the Government Chief Whip, Seamus Brennan, to explain the Taoiseach's involvement in the now infamous Sheedy affair. His indignant response was that they were "personalising politics" and that he didn't "like that kind of politics". Well that's telling us, Minister! Does Mr Brennan prefer the "kind of politics" that has his party riven by scandals and tethered to tribunals, which show no signs of running out of issues to investigate? Fianna Fail should desist from imputing unworthy motives to those whose duty it is to question.
In too many areas of Irish society - politics, business, the church, the judiciary - we have witnessed with dismay a cavalier indifference to what are normal standards of honest, decent behaviour and to the questioning of that behaviour. It's time to discard the ghastly notion of Celtic tigers and to treat, instead, the malady of Celtic denial. - Yours, etc.,
Eithne MacFadden, Carrigart, Co Donegal.