Sir, - The Progressive Democrats, for whom I don't vote, came into existence preaching fiscal rectitude as the basis for prosperity, and in a short time were high in the polls, to the consternation of Fine Gael, who did a U-turn and produced a fiscal rectitude budget, which caused the Labour Party to walk out of coalition and precipitate an election, which returned Fianna Fail as a minority government.
In order to get and keep power, the party's Charvet-shirted leader abandoned all his high-spending election pledges, adopted the Fine Gael Budget lock, stock and barrel, and thus got three years of Fine Gael support.
Haughey created many self-glorifying myths about Haughey, including the myth that he laid the foundation of the Celtic Tiger. - Yours etc.,
Gerard Sheehy, Grove Lawn, Blackrock, Co Dublin.