Sir, - Now that former Justice O'Flaherty has withdrawn his candidacy for the vice-presidency of the European Investment Bank, two important points must be made. The first relates to the blame for the damage this controversy has done to Irish prestige and respect in Europe.
Watching Questions and Answers, and having read other media response to the latest developments in the saga, it would appear that Charlie McCreevy is going to carry the can for this affair. However, let us not forget that three Ministers were party to this decision, the others being An Tanaiste, Mary Harney and An Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern. Once again, it appears, the Taoiseach is nowhere to be seen when someone is called on to take responsibility for this Government's actions. Secondly, Fianna Fail backbenchers who responded to the public's reaction to the nomination of Hugh O'Flaherty by protesting both publicly and privately do not understand why this affair happened in the first place. They claim that Mr O'Flaherty was not only qualified for this appointment but that he deserved it. It is the unpopularity of the decision that they complain about, not the poor judgment by their leaders that led to this fiasco. No doubt this intellectual paralysis among backbench TDs will lead to similar scandals in the future.
This mortifying affair has lifted the veil on the Fianna Fail/PD Government. Previous disgraces such as the Burke affair and the revelations from various tribunals have been explained away by the new Fianna Fail, with a new leadership and a new ethics code, nothing like the old Fianna Fail at all. The O'Flaherty controversy has demonstrated that old practices and attitudes continue to thrive in the grand old party. Moreover, the Progressive Democrats' supposed role as the "good guys who'll keep Fianna Fail honest" has been called into question once again. - Yours, etc.,
Leo Varadkar, Roselawn Road, Dublin 15.