Madam, – In view of President Mary McAleese’s “Your country, your call” initiative, I suggest one award be used to start a new political party, the “Clean Party”.
Such a party should be composed of people who have the interests of Ireland as a country at heart, who don’t habitually lie to each other, their constituents and the nation, nor cheat the taxpayer to line their own pockets, nor accept bribes from developers, nor speculate in land or other Irish assets, nor spend taxpayers’ money on “fact-finding” junkets, nor rob the education and health services to build more roads, nor attempt to subvert the justice system.
They would need to be able to take on board the numerous examples of good legislative practice available from so many of our European neighbours.
– Yours, etc,
Madam, – While the country’s politicians spent last week flinging one of their colleagues to the press hounds, and passing the banks’ debts to the taxpayer, it was left to the President and her husband to suggest that we should be discussing what we need to do to get the country working again (“€1m-plus fund for ‘game-changing’ ideas to revive country, says President, Home News, February 18th) .
So what is my call? I would ask the President to run the country. This would immediately improve our finances as we would only have to pay our politicians their pensions for doing nothing – thus saving on salaries and expenses. The exhibits from the Natural History Museum could replace the political dinosaurs in Leinster House. Government Buildings could be leased to raise money to pay off Nama.
Áras an Uachtaráin would definitely provide much better value for our euros. It seems to be the only office in the public sector that has reduced rather than re-worked expenses.
– Yours, etc,