Madam, - It is not, as Bobby Pringle suggests (September 27th), for the judiciary to decide whether the Taoiseach is fit to lead this country. It is for our public representatives to prove themselves to be worthy of governing.
By his own admission, Mr Ahern has dealt with large sums of money, in cash, in suitcases. Even if Mr Ahern has done nothing illegal or unethical (which we can wait for the judges to decide upon), he has done something incredibly stupid.
This is now a crucial time for all parties. Can Fianna Fáil truly say it has learned from the errors of the Haughey era? Can the PDs, with or without Mary Harney, now distance themselves from this mess and begin the process of rebuilding a party that the electorate can trust?
Can Fine Gael finally step up and be the alternative that the electorate wants - a party with high standards of ethics that can be trusted managing the economy?
It is time for this Taoiseach to go. Anyone, in any party, who thinks it is acceptable to accept suitcases of cash should follow.
- Yours, etc,
COLIN COOPER, Derrymeeleen, Ballineen, Co Cork.
Madam, - The iconic photograph of Taoiseach Bertie Ahern on Thursday's front page is an outstanding image of a resilient and determined leader who, I hope, will now move forward with the urgent agenda of consolidating and developing Ireland as a leader in environmentally friendly technologies, thereby freeing us from total dependence on imported resources. Enough time and energy wasted.
- Yours, etc,
RONAN MacEVILLY, Cleveragh Road, Sligo.
Madam, - It appears that, as Stephen Collins quotes a Labour politician remarking, "a huge number of people think. . .that Mr Ahern committed perjury, but they are not pushed about it" (Opinion & Analysis, September 26th). What was it, precisely, that many people found offensive about the recent remarks by the German ambassador?
- Yours, etc,
DENIS MORTELL, Friarsland Road, Clonskeagh, Dublin 14.
Madam, - Fr Breifne Walker declares (September 28th) that we are all demeaned by the booing of the Taoiseach outside Dublin Castle. What utter rubbish. The freedom to boo whomsoever we please is fundamental to democracy, though unfortunately not universally available - Burma being a particularly relevant case in point.
Of course nobody's perfect, but I would respectfully suggest Fr Walker concern himself with supporting the freedom to boo where it is not yet established, rather than supporting a Taoiseach who, like his mentor before him, may have been a patriot but seems determined to strip his office of the integrity and charisma fundamental to rebuilding a sustainable political culture in Ireland. - Yours, etc,
IVOR CROTTY, Moscow, Russia.
Madam, - "He made full use of generalisations, strange juxtapositions of unusual facts and plays of intuition which bordered now and then on fantasy". Mr Ahern at the Mahon tribunal? No. Renowned 19th-century meteorologist Prof H.W. Dove, as described by Brendan McWilliams in Thursday's Weather Eye.
- Yours, etc,
GERRY CORR, Gortatray, Ard Easmuinn, Dundalk.
Madam, - On Thursday the Taoiseach accused Tom Gilmartin of memory loss. In other news, a pot was also heard to call a kettle black.
- Yours, etc,
DENIS HURLEY, Kilbrittain, Co Cork.