A chara, - The main reason for Mr Burke's resignation was the relentless hounding of him by practically all sections of the media. It was an absolute disgrace the way the man was hounded even on the weekend of a family bereavement. Politicians are human beings and as such, despite being open to public scrutiny, deserve basic dignity and respect.
Last week in the Dail, Fine Gael raised the question of passports for sale and vigorously called on Mr Burke to resign. When they finally got their head on a plate, they then had the audacity, through Nora Owen, to state that when she was Minister for Justice she concluded that her investigation did not warrant further action. Why didn't Nora Owen have the common decency to make this statement prior to Mr Burke's resignation?
John Bruton, having called for Mr Burke's resignation, is now blaming the Taoiseach for it. This is opportunistic cynicism at its worst.
There is a sleazy frenzy which has captured the imagination of many journalists. The structures under which we deal with such issues need to be examined and possibly changed. The focus should now be on the structure and not the individuals. Bertie Ahern's proposal for an ethics committee would seem to be the way forward. If we continue to dig up the past we will be inundated with costly and lengthy tribunals. The focus of attention will forever be on mistakes of the past and not on capitalising on what led to the present "Celtic Tiger".
It is my firm belief that after the tribunal it will be proven that, as both Mr Burke and Mr Ahern have stated, Mr Burke did nothing wrong. - Yours, etc.,
Editor, The Big Issues, Amiens Street, Dublin 1.