Madam, - I wish to dispute the conclusions reached in your Editorial of October 13th on the findings of the latest Irish Times/TNSmrbi poll. The voters are not stupid or perverse. The explanation is simply that a Fine Gael-Labour government is not an acceptable alternative to the present Government for a majority of the electorate.A majority of those polled said Mr. Ahern was wrong to accept payments but that he should not resign. This is not because of a weakness for a culture of nods and winks but springs from a real fear that that such a resignation might lead to the installation of a Fine Gael-Labour government.
Pat Rabbitte is leading the Labour Party to disaster. He is depriving the wider labour movement and community activists of a political voice. He is depriving the Irish people of the opportunity to vote for a real alternative government.
When he committed his party to a pre-election alliance with Fine Gael, the combined vote of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael in polls had reached a historic low generally and and minority status in the greater Dublin area. The Labour leader's initial efforts had the effect of restoring credibility to a shattered Fine Gael. Now his determination to foist a Fine Gael-led government on the country is reviving support for Fianna Fáil as an election draws near.
The electorate is well aware of the disgraceful record of the most recent Fine Gael-Labour-Democratic Left government, particularly in the area of welfare payments. Voters are also aware of the hard-line hostility of Mr Richard Bruton to fair pay rises for public servants and other trade unionists.
There is an urgent need to halt the drift towards uncaring neo-liberal policies where markets decide everything irrespective of human need and the damage to cultural and educational values. Surely it is not too late for the Labour Party to change course, to reject coalition with Fianna Fail or Fine Gael, and to put a genuine alternative before the people. - Yours, etc,
SEAMUS HEALY TD (Independent), Dáil Éireann, Dublin 2.
Madam, - I was shocked by your Editorial last Friday commenting on the Irish Times/TNS-mrbi poll published that day. It was an insult to the people of Ireland, just as much as was the comment of Pat Rabbitte on the lunchtime news - "The people have the right to be wrong"! You and he, of course, claim to be correct.
I believe that the people have judged with some wisdom, knowing full well that most matters are not simply black and white, but call for balanced judgement. They judged that the Taoiseach was wrong to accept money, but not in the sense of being immoral, illegal nor unfit. It was not an exercise in "peculiar ethics" by the Taoiseach, as you claim, but one of indiscretion.
I firmly believe that these revelations should have been left to the Mahon Tribunal for due and balanced treatment instead of being fenced like stolen goods in the media.
I have been a life-time reader of your paper. If I had a genuine choice, I would now change. - Yours, etc,
LIAM TRUNDLE, Hermitage Park, Rathfarnham, Dublin 16.
A Chara, - Referring to the your opinion poll on Bertie Ahern and his government, John Waters (Opinion, October 16th) is right that "it behoves journalists to understand what is being said". Unfortunately, his own explanation for the poll's findings is not very convincing.
Politics is like real life, his argument runs; there are grey areas and people have weaknesses. Very true. But over the past decade we have learned the shocking extent of corruption in Irish political life and, living in disfigured and dysfunctional cities, we continue to suffer the effects of wink-and-envelope politics. In these circumstances, it behoves us to create an environment, even a culture, where our leaders are expected to be above question.
Mr Ahern, with a tear in his eye, said he had personal problems, and denied breaking the law. But it's not about law, it's about integrity.
The office of our current Taoiseach is now a mire of question marks. And if his personal difficulties really were causing him to compromise his office, Mr Ahern should have resigned. - Is mise,
CIARÁN MAC AONGHUSA, Churchtown, Dublin 14.
Madam, - Clearly the Irish people understand humanity better than your newspaper. What is clear from your poll is that they may hate the sin but they love the sinner. - Yours, etc,
AISLING WALSH, Kilburn, London NW6.