Madam, - The Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, deserves profound admiration for his recent prompt and decisive chastising of two of his ministers, Messrs Dempsey and Fahey, plus his instant removal of Ms Beverly Flynn from the parliamentary party and his emphatic endorsement of the decision to sack her from the Fianna Fáil organisation.
Following years of prevarication and procrastination on a whole range of similarly disturbing irregularities by various Fianna Fáil politicians, this is a courageous and welcome move. I hope it is a sign that the party has turned over a new leaf and committed itself to high standards of political integrity in public office.
I am however, somewhat perturbed by the Minister for Education, Noel Dempsey's arrogant and insubordinate reaction to the Taoiseach's valid reprimand over his distribution to Fianna Fáil local election candidates, in Departments of Education folders, of information prepared by civil servants in his Department.
In doing so, Mr Dempsey in essence gave a two-fingered gesture of defiance to the Taoiseach - a deed which in my opinion, warrants prompt censure failing an unequivocal apology from the perpetrator, not merely a nebulous rationalisation of the incident by the irascible and aggrieved Minister.
At least Frank Fahey, Minister of State, had the good grace to apologise following his rebuke by Mr Ahern for using Government notepaper to invite business people to a party fund-raiser. The Minister for Education should have acted with equal magnanimity and respect for the office of the Taoiseach instead of claiming that he would "never knowingly have breached ministerial guidelines".
The Taoiseach now needs to act with equal haste in bringing Dempsey to book if he is to sustain his credibility as a strong leader and avoid the humiliating consequences of inaction after being publicly insulted by a ministerial subordinate.
He may, of course, bide his time until the next cabinet reshuffle. - Yours, etc.,
PAT O'BRIEN, Maynooth, Co Kildare.