Sir, - Anyone who wishes to obtain a professional post in our Civil Service must have the required qualifications and undergo an interview; a written examination may also be required. The selected candidate cannot be appointed until the Garda Síochána gives clearance.
This is to ensure, as far as possible, that criminals, jailbirds, gun-runners, chancers, racketeers and other undesirables are not appointed.
In stark contrast, any citizen over 21 years is eligible to be a candidate for Dáil Éireann, our legislature, whether or not he or she is fit to be.This free-for-all is our present notion and practice of democracy.
Is it democratic that the electorate, so to speak, should have to pick a pig in a poke? In recent years it has become clear that a number of members of Dáil Éireann are not fit to belong to our legislature.
I am not suggesting that the Garda vet potential candidates, but surely a way could be found to exclude undesirable persons from being allowed to become members of our legislature, or at least remove them from Dáil Éireann.
The vast majority of TDs are dedicated, upstanding and hard-working. They stand to be discredited and undermined by the few disgraced and irresponsible members, who can apparently act with impunity exploiting and abusing their privileged position.
This gives rise to cynicism and public unease and brings politics into disrepute. - Yours, etc.,
MICHEÁL Ó NUALLÁIN, Monkstown, Co Dublin.