JASON FITZHARRIS,
Madam, - I applaud Mr Martin Cullen's efforts to ban the dual mandate, which perpetuates that scourge of Irish politics, localism, to be continually inflicted on the Irish people like the plague.
When a national politician makes a decision, it must be in the interest of the nation as a whole. For a national politician to pander to local minority interests is a gross abuse of his office.
The Portuguese Constitution has an article which states: "Deputies shall represent the whole country, rather than the electoral district for which they were elected." This short yet simple amendment should be put to a referendum on the same day as the European and Local Elections in 2004 so that the Irish electorate can exterminate this abuse of democracy once and for all. - Yours, etc.,
JASON FITZHARRIS,
Carlow.