Madam, - My concern for the future of the country as a result of Bertie Ahern's two terms as head of Government impels me to write this letter. In order to avoid further damage to the fabric of Irish society, I believe the Taoiseach should do the patriotic thing and indicate that he will not be leader of his party after the general election.
In my view, Mr Ahern appears to have personal and political standards of behaviour which in normal democracies would be considered quite unacceptable not only by the opposition but also by his own party. But for a tribunal of investigation, we might never have discovered that a well-remunerated Minister of Finance accepted large sums of money from business people.
Bertie Ahern's efforts, and those of some misguided Ministers of his, even after the Haughey revelations, to explain this largesse as a "dig out" to pay for family difficulties were nothing short of brazen. In spite of his television performance, the pathos of which rivalled Ray Burke's "line in the sand" speech, the inept and effete opposition failed to call for his immediate resignation.
I blame Mr Ahern to a large extent for recent job losses, especially at the higher end of the pay spectrum. His unfortunate interventions in the negotiation of successive pay agreements over the past 20 years or so, in order to placate the trade unions, have led directly to wage inflation and to Ireland becoming one of the costliest places in Europe to do business. (Never mind the so-called benchmarking of State salaries.)
Then there are the performances of individual ministers: McCreevy's hare-brained and abortive decentralisation; Cullen's voting machine fiasco and fondness for extra-departmental advice; Dempsey's inability adequately to address shortcomings in education; the failure of O'Donoghue and McDowell to stem and reverse the tide of illegal immigration. And is there any need to dwell on the state of our health "services"?
Perhaps the most explosive issue is the overwhelming numbers of legal immigrants, with the resultant strains on educational, health, justice and social welfare systems. Our economic reliance on the building industry has had the effect of covering much of Ireland in faceless concrete jungles while inflating house prices beyond the reach of average salaries. What will happen to those employed in this sector when the building boom collapses?
Bertie Ahern must shoulder his share of responsibility for the parlous state of our society and economy and go forthwith. Failing that, his party should act for the good of the country and take steps now to get rid of him. - Is mise,
NIALL Ó MURCHADHA, An Spidéal, Gaillimh.