Madam, - The fact that Bertie Ahern received money from friends to help pay his personal legal expenses when he was Minister for Finance may indeed be his own business. However, the affair makes a nonsense of his pint-of-Bass, Man U-supporting, Hill 16-frequenting common man image.
Like the common man Bertie had family difficulties and, just like the common man, he was short of money. However, while the real common man would take out a loan from his local credit union and tighten his belt during the long process of paying back the capital and interest, it is not so when the common man is Minister for Finance. A few buddies, not short of the readies, rally round and give him a dig out: no credit union, no belt-tightening, Mum's the word and Bob's your uncle.
The rich are different, Scott Fitzgerald said. So too, it now seems, is Bertie Ahern. - Yours, etc,
DENIS O'DONOGHUE, Countess Grove, Killarney, Co Kerry.
Madam, - The revelation that the Taoiseach received thousands of euro from wealthy friends to pay his personal legal bills should be a wake-up call to all of us. In a brazen display, the Taoiseach has tried to compare these payments to his Communion or Confirmation money. I do not believe that the Taoiseach is so naive and he should not believe that Irish people are so naive either. I have plenty of friends but I do not know anyone who would be willing to pay my mortgage, decorate my apartment, pay for my holidays or take on my legal bills. I wonder if the Taoiseach has ever asked himself why he has those kinds of friends when the rest of us do not.
Within days of the public learning that Ben Dunne had paid for an extension to Michael Lowry's home, Mr Lowry was forced to resign from office. Last year, Ivor Callelly had to resign when it was revealed that he had a similar relationship with a wealthy developer. Now the same standards must be applied to the head of government. If not, a message will be sent out to everyone in politics that conflicts of interest such as these are acceptable. We will be right back where we were 20 years ago.
It will be interesting to see how the new Tánaiste, Michael McDowell, who climbed up a pole to tell us that Fianna Fáil could not be trusted on its own in government will respond to the revelations. - Yours, etc,
Cllr LEO VARADKAR, Rosehaven, Carpenterstown, Dublin 15.
Madam, - Surely the proper place to investigate the alleged financial irregularities is within the Tribunal. We certainly do not need two systems: a tribunals, and a Opposition members and journalists. The formers' persistence shows they have little faith in tribunals, so perhaps they should come clean and advocate their abolition. At least that would save the poor old taxpayer millions. Or are too many of them or their supporters lawyers? - Yours, etc,
JOSEPH E MASON, Merrion Court, Montenotte, Cork.