Sir, – To all political parties and to those of no party who will contest the general election next year, may I address a heartfelt plea that they should grow up. I address the same plea to the electorate. It is high time that we came of age as citizens of a mature republic.
Stop with the promises!
A promise is defined as “a word of honour, an assurance, pledge, vow, guarantee, oath, bond, undertaking, agreement, commitment, contract, covenant or compact”. We know, the politicians know, we know they know and they know that we know, that what is presented to the electorate before an election cannot be promises – there are merely preferred policies.
These policies cannot be carried out unless the elected members of a political party have a clear majority in the Dáil and there is enough money in the State coffers. Even the bigger party in a coalition may have to compromise on its wishes in order to get a programme for government agreed. The only way an Independent can get a policy implemented is to barter his or her vote in return for some policy introduced and the resulting kudos with the favoured electorate.
So why do we indulge in this particular fiction? It does give the electorate and the opposition lots of opportunities to berate whatever government is in power for “promises” broken, and we seem to have become hooked on wallowing in this kind of negativity.
It is much more comforting to believe that we will get all we wish for than facing the reality that this world is not utopia. – Yours, etc,
Dr TERESA GRAHAM,
Tramore,
Co Waterford.
Sir, – Politicians often bemoan the apparent mistrust of the electorate and seem unable to understand that one of the issues is the keeping of promises.
This Taoiseach in particular seems to have a very uneasy relationship with the concept, as evidenced by his evasive performance in the Dáil this week.
Soon he will go to the electorate again and already the strategy of airbrushing promises from consciousness is evident. Before the last election he promised report cards on ministers. The twin concepts of accountability and competence appear to have been consigned to history. It is up to the electorate to reintroduce him to the apparently alien idea that keeping promises makes good political sense! – Yours, etc,
BRIAN ROSS,
Bray, Co Wicklow.