Madam, - Minister of State Tom Parlon's response (January 26th) to my letter pf January 20th is a repetition of his routine defence. In other words, it's waffle.
The McCreevy/Parlon decentralisation "plan" is a massive political stroke, a gross abuse of Government and Ministerial power, an electoral ploy that jeopardises the continuity and quality of public services, a potential waste of vast sums of public money and a get-rich-quick scheme for the builders and property developers who are major contributors to the coffers of the Government parties.
Far from civil servants being the main beneficiaries, as Mr Parlon has the brass neck to claim, this "plan" has, from the start, demonstrated a wanton and shameful disregard for the thousands of civil servants and their families whose lives and plans have been turned upside down, all for the sake of a "cute-hoor" political stroke.
I doubt if anyone in the country opposes properly planned and executed decentralisation. But no one would accuse this plan of meeting those criteria. No government or individual minister should ever be allowed repeat such brass-necked misuse of public assets.
The derogatory expression "banana republic" might, in future, give way to "Parlon Country". - Yours, etc,
PETER MOLLOY, Glenageary, Co Dublin.