Madam, - In the light of the Moriarty tribunal report and various other revelations in recent years surely it is now obvious that all political donations should be banned and that political activities should be financed entirely from the public purse.
The burden on taxpayers (about which some politicians profess to be concerned) could be alleviated by the establishment of a public fund to which all those anxious to "support the democratic process" could contribute. This could be used for the benefit of all political parties or groupings in the Dáil.
Over the years political donations have been used as the fig-leaf to cover the most dubious financial transactions. Unless they are banned once and for all it is hard to see how the contagion which has infected the body politic can ever be eradicated. - Yours, etc,
M.D. KENNEDY,
Mount Saint Anne's,
Dublin 6.