Sir, – The findings are out ("Vote controversy: report recommends no sanctions against TDs", News, October 24th). As usual, we have to have another inquiry. No one gets punished.
Sure, it’s only the Constitution.
Go on, lads and lassies, keep at it. – Yours, etc,
PAUL DORAN,
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Dublin 22.
Sir, – The emeritus clerk of the Dáil, and adjunct professor at UCC, Kieran Coughlan (Opinion & Analysis, October 24th), rehearses an interesting history of rules, regulations and procedures in the area of Dáil voting. However, to imply that members on one side making formal complaints about the possible illegality of proxy voting "smacks of political opportunism" is perhaps a little unfair.
The current system clearly failed to work, as evidenced by the Ceann Comhairle’s reaction, and it should be in order for any elected representative to take any action he or she deems appropriate. – Yours, etc,
PATRICK JUDGE,
Dún Laoghaire,
Co Dublin .
Sir, – Come election time perhaps the electorate would do well to press the eject button on the seats of some members of the Dáil. – Yours, etc,
ULTAN Ó BROIN,
Florence,
Italy.
Sir, – Independent TDs can afford to be the most outraged by the current Dáil voting irregularities. As Independents, are they not more likely to sit alone on the Dáil benches, thus lacking the party back-up to facilitate such activity? – Yours, etc,
MICK O’BRIEN,
Springmount,
Kilkenny.
Sir. – What needles me when you pull all the threads of this debacle together is that alarm bells should have gone off sooner. I mean the brass neck of the political parties in believing that the public would somehow never cop on to this.
Granted, we are living in pressing times with Brexit, and so on, but the Ceann Comhairle should push for a video-assistant referee (VAR) system to be installed beside his bench. I think a snap election is called for. – Yours, etc,
MICHAEL ROONEY,
Knocknacarra,
Galway.
Sir, – As usual, the broadcast and print media are trying to hype “Buttongate” into a huge “scandal” as if there aren’t more important issues facing Ireland now (such as housing and our ongoing shameful environmental irresponsibility). The politicians in their craven terror of unpopularity resort to juvenile wailing (“But sir, they did it too!”).
Can our political classes not just grow up, acknowledge a sloppy but hardly earth-shatteringly practice, admit they were all at it, agree to end it, and just get on with more grown-up stuff? – Yours, etc,
RICHARD McDONNELL,
Ardee,
Co Louth.
Sir, – I despair of my planned switch of party allegiance in the next election. It’s true what they say. A leopard cannot change its spots. – Yours, etc,
KENNETH ELLIS,
Rathfarnham,
Dublin 16.
Sir, – It has been suggested that the electronic voting system in Dáil Éireann is not fit for purpose and that an overhaul of the system is urgently required – funded, no doubt, by the taxpayer.
However, it is not integrity of the system which is in question, just the integrity of those using it. – Yours, etc,
PAUL WALDRON,
Ballinteer,
Dublin 16.