Madam, - On reading your report of the purchase of two Lexus "hybrid" cars for Minister for Natural Resources Noel Dempsey and Minister for the Environment Dick Roche, I ask myself what exactly do our esteemed leaders discuss with their European counterparts on resources and environmental issues.
If they took the time to look at the plate on the back of the Mercedes and BMW limousines which ferry them to and from their environmental conferences, they would note the CDU and D plates, which reflect continental Europe's genuine policy for environmental protection.
Some 90 per cent of cars sold in continental Europe today use diesel technology - the exception being the islands to the northwest of Europe.
We are influenced from the east by Jeremy Clarkson's irrational and factually inaccurate diatribe against diesel.
From the west, we share the Americans' fascination with a technology which is far from proven and perhaps even a gimmick, when compared with rational progressive Europe's approach of solving the problem today by reducing carbon emission with diesel technology.
Perhaps it's a language barrier? Perhaps it's an ill-founded Anglo-Saxon superiority complex that Mr Dempsey and Mr Roche share over their European counterparts?
Either way, how can these policy drivers be worthy of the price of the diesel limousine which shuttles them to their European conferences, if they do not even listen and introduce basic EU environmental policy in Ireland?- Yours, etc,
JOHN ROBERTS,
Como,
Italy.