Sir, – More than 500,000 people voted for Seán Gallagher.
However, Vincent Wood (November 1st) isn’t happy with them.
Not content with his own candidate getting elected, he has to denegrate these people who used their democratic right to vote for whichever candidate they wanted.
If he doesn’t like the system, maybe a country with a single candidate on the ballot, one that he thinks is suitable, might be more to his liking.
I did not vote for Mr Gallagher, but I respect all those who bothered to vote, no matter who they voted for. – Yours, etc,
A chara, – One way to break down the partitionist mentality so evident during the recent presidential election is to allow Irish citizens in the North of Ireland to vote. Let us hope that this anomaly is corrected before the next presidential election. – Yours, etc,
Sir, – I fully agree with Martin Melaugh (November 2nd): Too much fun has been made of the president-elect’s height. What is more important is whether he measures up to the job. It’s a tall order, but I am sure he will rise to the occasion. – Yours, etc,
A chara, – I have thrice been a defeated election candidate and have attended counts as a colleague of other defeated candidates. At no time was it ever said to me that election count etiquette required my attendance, or that of defeated colleagues, at the announcement of any of our victors’ elections. The normal practice is that one remains at the count until one is eliminated, and then one feels free to retire to lick one’s wounds.
Given that Gay Mitchell has never before experienced electoral defeat, it is petty in the extreme to criticise him for failure to observe an election protocol that even seasoned campaigners such as myself are unaware of. Might I suggest that, knowing of media interest in the story of Fine Gael’s failures on polling day, Mr Mitchell might have consciously absented himself so as not to take from Michael D’s moment of glory. – Is mise,
A chara, – The infamous Frontlineattack by Martin McGuinness on Seán Gallagher will undoubtedly go down in history as one of the most profound acts of political sabotage ever seen in this State. To the delight of many, however, the Sinn Féin coup backfired majorly, as indicated by the election results. It is a bitter realisation that a man of such little integrity could inflict such a profound character assassination on a man who acted with nothing but decency throughout the course of his campaign. – Yours, etc,