Madam, - What a performance, what a show. The operatic exit of the Taoiseach on the steps of Government Buildings on Wednesday had the entire country enthralled. There wasn't a dry eye in Leinster House and even I had some difficulty holding back the tears. Until, that is, Thursday at UCD, when Bertie went and spoiled it all by saying something stupid with his "unsound bites" at the Mahon tribunal. He must have felt the hand of hiss, hiss, hiss upon his shoulders. - Yours, etc,
PATRICK O'BYRNE, Shandon Crescent, Phibsborough, Dublin 7.
Madam, - One of the most troubling things about the Taoiseach's resignation has been the headlines in the international media which used words like "resignation", "scandal", "payments", "allegations" in various combinations. This damage to our reputation must be urgently addressed by the incoming taoiseach along the following lines:
1. Take the long overdue Ethics Bill in the current Dáil session.
2. Introduce legislation to protect all whistleblowers in lieu of the current patchwork sectoral approach.
3. Roll back changes and charges relating to freedom of information and broaden its coverage.
4. Give more powers to Dáil committees to conduct investigations along the lines of the Public Accounts Committee.
5. Establish a Dáil committee to confirm all significant government appointments to State boards, etc.
6. Preclude Ministers from signing non-essential orders or making appointments once an election has been called.
7. Clear up all the obvious flaws governing donations to politicians before and during elections.
8. Follow up on the Standards in Public Office Commission's recommendations.
9. Require that the accounts of political parties be audited and placed in the public domain.
These measures would kick-start the process of restoring the electorate's confidence in the political system and politicians. - Yours, etc,
BRIAN FLANAGAN, Blackrock, Co Dublin.
Madam, - When Charlie Haughey was finally run out of politics, those who had silently served under under him implicitly pleaded moral cowardice as the cause of their acquiescence. We were led to believe that the rest of Fianna Fáil had higher standards, but what could anyone have done against such a powerful leader, without risking their careers?
Now that we know that, in reality, Bertie Ahern had a view of taking gifts from businessmen essentially no different from Haughey, is it not obvious that we were foolish in extending the benefit of the doubt to Haughey's flunkeys?
Yet here we are again, being asked to extend the same moral coward's pardon to all those Fianna Fáil ministers who defended Ahern right up to the end. We are expected to believe that even though they defended Ahern's actions, they themselves have a stricter moral code.
As George Bush famously once tried to say, fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me. - Yours, etc,
TIM O'HALLORAN, Ferndale Road, Dublin 11.
Madam, - So Bertie steps out, and Beverley steps in again. No Pauline conversion to ethics in Fianna Fáil yet. What was that Bertie was saying about low life? - Yours, etc,
BRIAN MORRIS, Blackrock, Co Louth
A chara, - So, Enda Kenny has called for a new general election. Does this mean that he has finally admitted he lost the last one? - Is mise,
DECLAN HARMON, Whitethorn Crescent, Palmerstown, Dublin 20.
Madam, - Media coverage of the Taoiseach's troubles does seem to be, as his supporters charge, prejudiced and pre-judgmental.
The vast majority of articles tend to take as their starting point the basic acceptance that the country's most powerful man was a "fundamentally decent" naif who didn't know right from wrong. Perhaps, as his backers insist, we should "let the tribunal take its course" before we concur. - Yours, etc,
EOGHAN SWEENEY, Ranelagh Village Dublin 6. Madam
Madam, - Why would Maggie, Dublin Zoo's orang-utan, choose this week, of all weeks, to attempt an "escape" - after 26 years in residence?
I suspect it is a gesture of gratitude to the nation that has given her a home all these years. I think she knows there's a vacancy to be filled. After all, didn't another Maggie once lead the British Tories? Clearly, Maggie has shambled forward to serve the nation in its hour of need. I urge Fianna Fáil to reopen nominations. - Yours, etc
DUNCAN J MARTIN, Cloughjordan, Co Tipperary.